Power of the Planet
by Gavedin
Summary: The Lifestream is in danger and finds itself in a predicament. Luckily an unforeseen accident happened, causing the Planet to find a way to fight back. Hope is actually blonde, just not the blonde you're expecting.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: No! I don't own Final Fantasy VII or Naruto! For the love of all that is holy, stop asking me!

Chapter 1:

**CLANG**

**CLANG**

**CLANG**

Taking a rest from pounding away at the piece of molten metal, the blonde soot-covered blacksmith wiped at his sweaty brow with an uncovered forearm while pushing up his dark green goggles with his free hand. The one thing he truly hated about his occupation was the high temperature atmosphere, much higher than the natural weather of his homeland. Other than that it made good money, or gil if you wanted to be more specific.

"Naruto-chan! Take a break an' come eat somethin'!" A voice yelled out from another room. The aforementioned Naruto quickly blanched, knowing the 'meal' would involve all manner of creepy crawlies found outside in the grass and foliage. Now, he may have gotten used to eating bugs because of his prior teachers and training, but that didn't mean he'd go out and eat insects whenever he could.

"No can do, Ma! I already started the metal shaping and I can't just up and leave it now!" The male heard a whole manner of clanging and footsteps before his 'Ma' burst into the room, irate at the fact he would pay more attention to his job than gaining proper nutrition. By the way, has there been any mention of Ma, or Shima, actually being a two-foot tall humanoid purple toad wearing a cloak and speaking like a human? Because that's rather important.

The amphibian was holding a ladle in one of her lanky hands in a threatening man, silently promising pain if he didn't get his ass moving into the adjoined room. With a sigh and small shake of his head, Naruto brought his gloved hands together into a strange cross shaped movement before an exact copy of the blacksmith sprung to life out of thin air. While it was normally a rather surprising move that would shock a person in fright or wonder, Shima didn't even bat an eye at the gesture.

"Keep working on the metal." he ordered, making the clone give him a salute before grabbing the smithing hammer. The sounds of metal hitting metal once again filled the air as he walked through the backdoor of the shop and into the small building, shady fluorescent lighting slightly blinding him as he went from a darkened room to a brighter one. He laughed slightly as he heard the smaller toad grumbling to herself about the whole situation.

"…come all the way here…slave away…good food…little brat…"

"Hey, hey. While I thank you for coming and making me something to eat, Ma, I have been rather busy lately and need to work on my orders. I can't just stop the process while in the middle of it or the product won't be at its best when I finish." She sent him a harsh glare as she hopped up onto the small folding table but the look withered into a softer one as he took his place in the only seat.

"I know, but ya can just make more clones ta do the work. Actually, why don'tcha do that?"

Naruto shrugged, poking gingerly at the bowl of writhing worms with his fork. "No one here can do anything with chakra, remember? They use materia and magic, and over the years I've never heard of anyone say there was a clone or copy spell. I'd probably freak out if I was a customer and walked in one day to pick up an order and suddenly notice there were a bunch of me's running around." The toad nodded in agreement at his viewpoint. It did rather make sense.

Noticing she was looking at him with an unreadable expression, Naruto gulped before sticking the utensil into his gooey dinner and pulling out a small, wriggling portion. Steeling his taste buds as he was used to the texture by now, he brought it to his mouth and opened wide.

Damn, he'd never get used to the feeling of his meal heading down his esophagus wiggling and moving around. No matter how many times he ate Shima's cooking. But he had to admit…it wasn't actually that bad once you got past the fact it was still alive.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Now if you haven't guessed already, this is indeed the blonde-haired, blue-eyed, whisker-marked Naruto Uzumaki. Shinobi of Konohagakure. Jinchuriki of the nine-tailed fox. Summoner of the toad clan and practitioner of senjutsu and nature chakra. But why was he here, in a dingy little apartment/blacksmith storefront in the slums of Midgar's Sector 7? Well, it was both a rather simple and complex answer.

After the defeat of the rogue Akatsuki's Pein and his six different bodies and victory over Pein's true mastermind, Nagato, it was decided the boy would be sent back to Mt. Myouboku to both stay hidden from Madara as well as continue polishing his sage mode. He was rushed the last time, but at least now he would be able to take his time ti focus and learn more of the nuances to his most powerful form.

He stayed with the toads for three more months, with the occasional letter and update sent between himself and Tsunade who had awoken sometime prior from her chakra-induced coma. Due to his training, the boy could now make up to four clones to siphon in nature chakra instead of his regular two. He himself could absorb it at a faster rate than before, but dearly wished he could have Ma and Pa on his shoulders just like Jiraiya used to. It made him feel as though he could have been closer to his deceased mentor.

At the beginning of the fourth month, Naruto and Fukusaku decided to go and visit Konoha to deliver their report in person. Naruto even decided to use his own reverse summoning seal he had devised in his spare time, painstakingly created as he looked over fuinjutsu books left behind by Jiraiya. But this time he powered it with a special energy: his sage chakra. While he may have been small, his body contained more energy than a boss summon, meaning he'd need to funnel a lot of it since he was essentially summoning himself.

And he just so happened to be able to wield one of the greatest powers around: the power of the planet.

Channeling his sage chakra into the large seal, he felt the empowerment vanish from his chakra coils before he released the energy. Both he and the elder toad disappeared in a powerful puff of smoke, expecting to see the busy streets and earthen colored buildings of the Leaf Village. Instead they were greeted by the greenish-tan grass of an open plain and some strange city looming off in the distance. It was quite large and by the looks of it, descended downwards into the earth.

"Pa? Where are we?"

"I've no idea, Naruto-chan, But I think yer summonin' seal may notta been fully prepared."

"Maybe…I'm still new at this, ya know. Can't you go back and then summon me then? We'll try the regular way this time."

Pa nodded, disappearing in his own puff of smoke as Naruto moved over to the shade of a tree. This place looked nothing like the Elemental Nations but then again he and his perverted sensei didn't travel _everywhere_ during his three-year training journey.

Ten minutes passed and Naruto began to get frustrated at the laxness, wondering why he hadn't poofed away yet to familiar pastures. Soon enough, Gamakichi was resting besides Naruto as the two began conversing. It turns out he and Ma had felt the strange influx of natural chakra on the seal and proceeded to investigate. When Fukusaku returned and explained what had happened, Kichi suggested they just wait until the chakra anchoring Naruto to that world ran out and brought him back but they had to explain to the younger toad that his idea wouldn't work.

Naruto had summoned himself and was running on his own energy, which would replenish quicker than it would drain. So he was technically stranded there until someone brought him back. And that moment was when he had summoned Gamakichi to his spot, bringing the blonde up to date with the events. Soon enough, the two disappeared back to the realm of the toads.

This time they tried it the old fashioned way, with Ma heading off and summoning them to Konoha like during Akatsuki's attack. It worked, and none of them gave it a second thought as they talked with the Hokage-

-until two hours later when Naruto suddenly vanished and reappeared back at the same tree he had sat under after his seal fucked up. He had looked around in bewilderment before freaking out and resummoning both elders. The two toads were shocked to see where they were (Fukusaku much more than Shima). All three quickly headed back to Mt. Myouboku before the blonde shinobi incessantly went over his written creation for any flaws or mishaps for answers.

Sadly he found some, with extra speculation from his dry-skinned teacher. Some of his strokes had been mapped out wrong in his haste to try it out, and supercharging it with sage chakra may have possibly mixed up the destination coordinates. But as to why he would reappear in that other world instead of Konoha, none of them could figure that problem out. The same questions plagued why this new world seemed to now be his new home destination instead of Konohagakure.

Deciding to find out more about this new world, Naruto disguised himself and infiltrated the nearby city which he soon came to know as Midgar, pretty much run by some high-end corporate company named Shinra. While the upper levels were nice, even posh and expensive in certain places, the lower levels hidden underneath the giant upper plate were nothing more than slums and hobo camps divided into different sections.

Naruto spent his time moving between Midgar and Myouboku, occasionally popping back to the Land of Fire to see his friends and talk with his leader. He had learned this new world was called 'Gaia' or 'The Planet' and everything seemed deeply entwined with the planet's energy source, which was a large conglomeration of energy called the Lifestream. When a person died, their soul and life energy would leave its mortal shell and return to the Lifestream where it would either continue to exist within the larger mass or stay and slowly lose all memories of its former life before one day being reborn.

Sometimes the Lifestream would leak out from within the planet's core and condense into a solid form known as materia, which contained knowledge from lives past. If a person was to equip this small magical orb into their weapons or armor, it allowed them to wield the knowledge of something called the Ancients and be able to use their spiritual energy to control the powers of magic.

But Shinra was power hungry and found their own way to speed up this natural process by creating huge reactors that literally sucked the life out of the planet and converted it to a usable energy form known as Mako. It was used from illuminating lights, to fuel, to holographic displays. Pretty much anything you could see or use ran off of Mako and the Lifestream.

Once, before Naturo had ventured into the strange city, he was attacked by a pack of strange, wolf-like creatures which he later learned were known as Kalm Fangs. They weren't that hard to kill but he must have interrupted a family meeting or something because there was a massive number of the monsters running around.

Deciding to take them all out in one blow, he formed four clones that hid themselves in the trees as he dodged and sliced with practiced precision. Soon enough he felt them dispel as the rush of euphoric energy transferred between hosts. But something was wrong. It felt more…potent…than anything from Mt. Myouboku or even his homeland.

He was calm. But the energy output felt like it was about to explode violently out of his chest like a cannonball being held under pressure. It didn't his fighting ability, luckily. Brutal efficiency. That's what the slaughter of those Mako infused monsters would have been classified as had anyone else witnessed the killing.

With adrenaline ebbing in his veins and blood dripping from his clothes, he formed a few clones to look through the corpses and gather any spoils, having found out the monsters and such seemed to carry items for whatever conceivable reason. However, when the blonde went to disengage his sage mode…

That's when things took a stranger turn.

He couldn't release the energy, as though it was stuck and didn't wish to leave his chakra coils. There was a small tickling at the forefront of Naruto's mind that suddenly grew in strength and power whereas there was none before. The earthen soil was suddenly a lot closer than he remembered as his cheek impacted the ground with a dull thud, his eyes nearly rolling into the back of his head. The tickling had exploded into a cacophony of voices, all trying to garner his attention as his chakra levels fluctuated wildly in return. The shinobi felt like he was listlessly floating through god knows what, and the strangest part was it was very hard whether to decipher if the world around him was bathed in unending darkness or brightest light.

Then almost as quickly as it came, it stopped. Every voice dimmed and dimmed until it was as though they melded together to form one grand, mysterious voice. Young, old, male, female…it was there.

"_**Hello, young one. Do not be afraid…**__"_

'_W-who the hell are you and why are you in my head!_'

"_**We are both many and yet only singular…a great power, yet we are diminishing due to the folly of humans. We are the Planet, and we are the Lifestream…**_"

'…_are you serious? I mean, I know I can communicate with nature thanks to training with the toads but…seriously, this have never happened before. Am I losing my mind?_'

"_**Fear not, young one. You are still as sane as you were before. We have both watched and studied you, ever since you first appeared on our surface…your power absorbs the energy of your surroundings, and so in essence…us. We have waited for you to attempt this power conversion so we may try and speak with you…**_"

The voices seemed to grow in strength yet again before being brought back under control. Naruto felt like he was being spun in place before grinding to a halt. The chakra surrounding him seemed to caress his body, letting him feel a bit better even though his head was still pounding within its boney confines. '_And why are you trying to talk to me? I'm just trying to figure out what the hell's going on. My summoning messed up and I wound up here, and Konoha isn't my default destination anymore._'

"_**We may answer, for we are the reason behind your queries. We felt the tremor of power behind your 'summoning' when you first appeared here, as it is close to the power of a select few that once walked upon my terrain. We are unsure as to why you came here, but it was viewed unanimously as a blessing in disguise. We used our own power to keep you rooted to this plain of existence as our fate shall be tested in the coming years…**_"

The voice gave a quick rundown of what the Cetra, or Ancients, were and what they could do. Naruto, being his normal, curious self, naturally wondered what the hell it had to do with him.

"_**It is simple. You who can call upon our power…your assistance is needed in the upcoming battle. Once it has been resolved, you will be allowed to fully return to your own plain of existence.**_"

'_But I can't just stay here! My own world needs my help! Madara and the remnants of Akatsuki are still out there hunting me!_'

"_**Would it not prove fruitful to stay here and away from their prying eyes? Where you may grow stronger to protect those you care about, and in return help fight for us?**_" Naruto was silent, pondering the wisdom he had just discovered. It made perfect sense. Those cloaked bastards had no idea where he was, and no possible way to reach him since he himself had no idea what exactly he did to his summoning seal to wind up there.

"_I…guess that sounds good…how long would I be here?_"

"_**Time is but an illusion, young one. It could take what is known as months, it could take what is known as years. Know this: you will know when our true destruction has begun. Now then, our interaction draws ever closer to its end…now, sleep…..**_"

The multitude of voices grew fainter and fainter as his headache seemed to recede before the strange dark/light world he was floating in dissolved before his senses. Next thing he knew, he was propped up against a tree with two very worried toads fussing over him.

When Naruto hadn't summoned any of them at a certain time they had all agreed on, the lot of them began to worry and so reverse summoned to his spot. What they found was an unconscious blonde ninja sweating up a storm and mumbling to himself in his sleep.

He told them of his new experience, all the while warning them about trying to absorb any sort of natural chakra in this world. He quickly added in the part about having to help out the planet, stay around for an extended period of time, yadda yadda. Both toads looked at him like he was insane until the shinobi added in the part about him being able to hide from the Akatsuki and train without ever having to worry about looking over his shoulder in fear.

They both agreed with that point. A few quick summons later all was explained to a now curious Tsunade, who was a bit ticked that he was basically being held hostage by a damn planet but couldn't deny its merits. After more verbal argumentation, a broken desk, and half of Konoha hearing their shouting match, she sighied at the amount of paperwork to come before letting him know he would be on an 'extended leave of absence for training purposes'.

Everyone else just so happened to be busy at the moment or out on missions, causing the blonde to pout at the strange circumstances but felt a small bit of belief when his surrogate family member said she would help explain the situation to the others. Fixing his bones back into place after one last bone-crushing hug and tearful goodbye, the three returned back to Gaia to get Naruto settled into his new 'life'. Since the city was the closest as well as **only** one they knew of around there, the blonde settled on Midgar as his base of operations.

Naruto had perused the different slums, noting Sector 6 and 7 were the nicest out of all of them…and that wasn't saying much. It was too risky heading skyward to the upper plate, as he would need all kinds of fancy identification and well, y'know, he didn't have that. If he was going to stay here for now and try and earn money and information, he would need a business front. Luckily, it wasn't as hard to do as he thought it would be.

An older man begging for retirement sighed listlessly inside of the Sector 7 materia shop, hoping for the day he made enough selling the magical orb doohickeys and get the hell out of Dodge. He nearly had a heart attack when a younger, blonde fellow had walked through his rusty door asking if he knew of any places for sale or rent. Seeing his one chance to finally retire, the elder put it out there: 25,000 gil for ownership, takeover of sales, and the whole flipping shop.

A slightly dumbstruck blonde stood stock still in front of the waist-high ramshackle counter, blinking stupidly before reaching into his pouch and retrieving a small sack he used to hold his pilfered gil. Pulling out the money, he released a happy sigh when he noticed he had just enough with only 200 left over. Lucky break, there. The man immediately snatched up the currency, ran into the back room, appeared a minute later with a full suitcase, and hustled out the door with a vigor that a geriatric his age should not possess. Only then did he realize a set of keys had bounced off of his face once he finished gawking at the still moving door.

As the two toads hopped into the building, having decided to stay hidden from view for the time being, they began to chuckle at the blatant surprise still etched across Naruto's face. Finally shaking himself from the stupor, the three got down to perusing his new store.

It turned out things were fine the way they were. There was a whole closet of basic materia, labeled and ready to find its way into new ownership. Not that he hadn't taken a few for himself or anything…no, of course not. For nearly a year the waylaid shinobi sold these mystical baubles to travelers and regulars, learning more about the world and amassing just enough funds to keep himself comfortably content.

But the teen still grew bored.

He barely saw any of his friends anymore. The most he ever conversed with was his summons. And standing around for three quarters of a day to see if any customer would walk into his shop was starting to annoy him. So he decided on…expanding the business.

There were three basic shops in the slums, he noted: weapons/very basic armor, items, and material. The weapons, he noted, were all flimsy and poorly made. Quite possibly forged in a factory on some sort of production line. The amount of gil needed to import them was probably staggering as well. Get rid of the middleman and all that and he could gain a new business venture. So, gaining a sly grin that would have made Jiraiya proud, Naruto set out to try his hand at a new trade.

Blacksmithing.

Why the hell not?

It seemed like a good idea to him…

To the surprise of his familiars they were asked to scrounge up any scrolls, books, pamphlets, whatever, on how to be a blacksmith and the basics of metalworking. He was pleasantly surprised when he found himself with a few tomes on how to mold the metal and create weapons. But he needed an anvil, a forge, large amount of water, tools…

Thank god for shadow clones. The things you can build and find with a small army at your disposal, neh? And it wasn't hard to find metal, seeing as there were massive piles of junk EVERYWHERE. Make some more clones, have them henge, and BAM. He now had 'paid natives' who looked around for scraps to recycle and use. But that's where his luck seemed to run out.

Naruto was a hands-on kind of guy, able to learn things from seeing them happen. Hearing about it or having to read about the craft didn't do much. Sure he was able to glean the information he wanted from his books but it wasn't enough. And that's where the trial and error came into play.

He would make an attempt at a kunai or shuriken, two items he was rather intimate with and knew better than a sword or spear. He would try to mold and shape the molten metal, heating it with either his fire materia or using the help of one of his toads. He tried different things; folding the metal to enhance durability, mixing different metals together to change the density, etc. Usually when he finished there would be a crack in the blade, or the points weren't even. But he never gave up in his quest, showing the stubbornness one would learn he possessed over the years. He would either simply melt it down and try again, or throw it in a bin to work with later.

More time passed as the teen grew older, his features growing stronger as his puberty finally came to an end. He had grown used to the monotony of his hermit lifestyle, not really paying attention to the dates and days as he found himself growing used to this rather peaceful life. This was what he wanted. Sure, he deeply missed going out on missions and learning new shinobi techniques, but it was nice. No more fighting was needed, even if he was being hypocritical in making weapons. That thought always sobered him right up.

And now, as a twenty one year old man eating a bowl of worms made by his amphibian grandparent, Naruto Uzumaki wondered if that day the Planet told him about all those years ago was ever going to happen. Don't get him wrong, he enjoyed the peace and simpleness he was now living. But he missed everyone dearly back in Konoha, hoping to one day be able to head back for good.

There was one inconvenience though: ever since the day he took the Lifestream into himself, there was always a sort of faint whisper at the back of his mind reminiscent of the voice of the Planet. It would talk to him, telling him of events and quietly speaking words of encouragement.

That lone experience had altered him, changing the blonde to fit the needs of Gaia and effectively turning Naruto into a Cetra. One who was not actually born as an Ancient, but still able to connect with the immense life force that powered the planet. None of the toads could reason as to why he could still hear the murmurs of the earth, but it didn't appear harmful to him so it was accepted for now. It did however make any senjutsu practitioners wary of attempting to gather nature chakra when summoned to Gaia.

They just accepted it as happening to anyone who absorbed the pure, unrefined Lifestream into their own selves. The whole situation was an unknown since none of them could know if anyone else had ever tried besides Naruto. They did not know, however, that this sole act would change things in the years to come.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto had finally finished choking down his living meal while giving the toad a small smile in gratitude. Before long he stood, grabbing the dirty eating utensils and dropping them in his patchwork sink. "Thanks, Ma. I _was_ actually starting to get a bit hungry."

"I'm jus' happy ya love muh cooking so much!" she croaked merrily, causing the blonde's eye to twitch discreetly.

"Heh…yeah…"

The door behind the duo clinked open, signifying his clone had just entered the living quarters. Raising an eyebrow in question, the ninja turned to see what had made the copy leave his spot at the anvil. "Hey, Boss! I finished hammering out the shape before just before the 'big guy' came in for his package."

Naruto nodded in thanks, dispelling the clone and walking towards the door. Grabbing a medium-sized wrapped package from his 'corner of finished works' as he liked to call the actual nondescript corner, he gave a quick wave to Shima who disappeared back to Mt. Myouboku before reentering the larger part of his shop.

"…what the hell are you doing?" he asked lowly. The customer suddenly jumped, so engrossed in his inspection of the knife laying on the anvil that he didn't hear Naruto walk up behind him and stop at the counter. The man was massive, with the body type of a bear and dark-skinned, with black hair cut short and a black beard with a pair of scars underneath his right eye. He wore militaristic clothing complete with fingerless gloves, a set of dogtags, and heavy boots. The one anomaly about this person was the fact that his right arm ended halfway down his forearm, stopping at a metal base grafted onto the flesh and making it shorter than his other large arm.

"Sonofabitch! Don't jus' sneak up on me like that or I might hurt ya next time!" Naruto just stared at him blankly as he felt his lips purse. Finally rolling his eyes, he placed the item on the countertop and motioned towards it with his hands.

"There you go, Barret. I upgraded it to withstand more damage than it could before. Had to take it apart though…so if it acts buggy bring it back and or find me a how-to manual. Guns really aren't my thing, y'know?"

The newly named Barret Wallace lumbered over and ripped off the packaging to reveal a strange cylindrical tube as wide as his limbs. With a grin the man connected it to his stub and turned it, nodding appreciatively when it snapped into place. Taking aim at the wall he caused the metallic appendage to rotate as though it were firing, nodding again when noted it still seemed to work.

"Now it may seem a little heavier, but that's because of the added metal. Plus, I lengthened the barrel as well as made it slightly wider. That means you can fit more ammunition inside before reloading. If there's any problems feel free to bring it back and bitch at me."

The man with the crew-cut smirked, rubbing his hand over the shining metal. "Shit. I'll come back and bitch at ya even if it doesn't crap out on me." The blonde snorted, leaning down on the table while cracking his neck. "By the way, gimme one o' those fire materias. The gangs got a mission tonight and some extra power's gonna give us an advantage."

"500 gil." he replied, reaching beneath to grab the golf-ball sized orb. Barret winced, pulling the money out and placing it in the other man's waiting hand.

"Damn…couldn'ja make it any cheaper? I'm savin' up fer Marlene's schoolin'."

"Hey, I gave you a 100 gil discount! Plus the discount before on upgrading your gun-arm. AVALANCHE is trying to save the planet and I agree with that, so I figure I can help you by making my work less expensive."

Barret snorted in response, turning to leave as he placed the magical bauble into his gun. It shimmered before physically melding into the weapon, like all materia seemed to do. "Yeah, I know and I thank you fer that." He seemed to pause as he reached for the door, looking over his shoulder with his dark black irises. "By the way, could you-"

"I'll head over to the bar and watch over Marlene and Tifa. Though if she finds out I'm supposed to be watching them you know she'll kick both our asses for thinking she needs to be babysat."

"Bah, she could try! Besides, yer an honorary member of AVALANCHE whether you like it or not! So it's an order to go an' watch 'em! Tifa can get over it!"

"Don't let her hear you say that, Barret."

The large man growled, shaking his fist in lingering anger at the smirking blonde. He so wished to shoot him in his punk-ass laughing face but he had no ammo. Fuck. He'd have to reload anyways. Letting loose a loud roar, Barret stomped out of the store with rage simmering in his every step. Naruto couldn't help it as he began to laugh loudly: it was so easy to rile that man up.

Deciding to close up early for the night, he created a multitude of kage bunshin to work on his other jobs while he was away. The clones immediately got to work, some melted down metal for molding while others began to work on processing other weapons. Very effective when he knew they wouldn't be found out. Even though the buildings were ramshackle huts in a sense, they were still pretty insulated to not allow sound to escape.

Whistling to himself, he locked the door before heading down the isolated street to the one building always brimming with sound and bright lights: the Seventh Heaven bar, run by one Tifa Lockheart and headquarters of the anti-Shinra group known as AVALANCHE.

Originally, it was about two years into his self-solitude before he ever met any of them. One day Barret had barged into his shop while he was hammering out a kunai, hooting and hollering about how they needed materia and weapons for a job they had. Naruto felt the urge to throw the larger man out, deeming he was drunk and imagining things until _she_ had walked in.

Tifa Lockheart. Otherwise known as the beauty of Sector 7 and many a man's wet dream. She was always seen wearing a black leather skirt that rode high on her thighs, held up by a pair of suspenders. She wore a white, sleeveless t-shirt that was forced to ride high enough to expose her midriff due to her large breasts. On both feet were a pair of boots and on both hands were a pair of red sparring gloves, though one was taped up from extensive use. Her red eyes reminiscent of Kurenai looked around his shop in wonder, taking in the sights of completed works he had hung up on the walls in case anyone was interested in purchasing them. With a flick of her hand, she threw her long brown hair over her shoulder which reached down to nearly her knees, but the end was tied up in a small ponytail and, strangely enough, split at the bottom into what looked a dolphin's tail.

She had calmed the irate man before introducing themselves followed by three other people named Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie who filled out the remaining slots of AVALANCHE. They asked him questions about the Planet and what his personal preferences were on Shinra and what they were doing to the earth. Confused by the sudden questionnaire, he answered truthfully (that he wished he could help protect the Planet) before they began to look over and buy a few of his knives and materia.

This continued on for a few weeks before they had deemed him not a threat to their cause and let him in on what they actually did. He was surprised by the revelation but it was all an act: having the whole world continually whisper things to you sort of took the shock out of everything. Part of him wondered if this was the big life-changing moment he was waiting for, but when he didn't receive any sort of confirmation it caused him to pout like a child. This caused Tifa to giggle and Barret to cuss up a storm, seeing as how he was in the middle of his big rallying speech at the time.

Naruto agreed to help them out which caused them to officially dub him as a 'member', even though the most he did was watch over their base sometimes and supply weapons. Still, he found it to make his life less boring and he was thankful for it.

Climbing up the rickety wooden steps, he entered through the saloon doors to be greeted by many patrons either drinking or eating some of the bartender's cooking. Slapping on a small smile, he walked forward and took an empty seat at the bar counter in the end corner. He heard a sudden cry of "Naruto!" before a small weight crashed into his side and nearly knocked him from his stool.

"Heya, Marlene-chan! How have you been?"

"Good! And where have you been? You haven't stopped by in over a week!" The little five-year old demanded, taking on a look reminiscent of her adoptive father Barret. She let go, dropping onto her feet before smoothing out her purple dress in a huff. The ninja smiled, reaching down and ruffling her shoulder-length brown hair in amusement.

"I've been busy, squirt. I run a shop too, you know."

She huffed again, this time straightening her hair before glaring at him with all the fervor a child could. "So? You coulda still came!" He grinned softly, patting her on the shoulder and causing her to smile in return.

"Could you get me a drink please? I'm pretty thirsty." The girl nodded so hard it almost looked like her neck would break before she dashed around to the back area of the bar to get him a beverage. With a chuckle, he turned in his spot only to run right into the rust-red eyes of the bar's owner.

"So you _do_ actually remember how to leave your shop. I'm surprised!" she teased, placing her closed fists at her hips as she grinned at the blonde. He stuck his tongue out at her, causing the woman to laugh and show just how high his mental age truly was.

"Har-de-har, Tifa-chan. Gonna add comedian to your list of talents, now?" She gave him a wink as she began to wipe down the counter in front of him with a rag before setting down the glass of booze Marlene had grabbed for him.

"There you go with those strange honorifics or whatever from Wutai again. Are you sure you're not from there?" she asked, receiving a flat look in return.

"I think I'd know where I was born, thank you very much." He responded, grabbing his drink and taking a sip. "Wutai and my home village just share the same customs apparently."

"I've looked over a bunch of different maps and I still can't seem to find a 'Konoha' anywhere."

"Well I am an orphan. Maybe the name was changed after I left." came the cheeky reply, causing Tifa to puff her cheeks in annoyance at his flippant answers. No matter what he always seemed aloof when questioned about his origins, and nothing seemed to work on getting him to spill. She tried threatening him all the way up to sex appeal, and yet he still held fast. Secretly, she was pleased when she tried using her charms to get him to talk as he fidgeted around and did his best to try and keep his eyes on her own. He succeeded… mostly, but it still pleased her to see that her teasing did affect him.

"You're so secretive sometimes it makes me want to…to…" Her minor rant was cut off as Barret suddenly burst through the door followed by the AVALANCHE trio. He aimed his right arm skyward before unloading rounds into the ceiling, scaring away customers so he could quickly empty the bar.

"EVERYBODY GET THE FUCK OUT!"

By the time the rush was over, all that was left was Naruto who calmly finished his drink and set down enough gil to pay for it. As he went to leave he felt a hand grasp his shoulder and spin him around, causing the shinobi to stare straight into the pissed off visage of' the large male.

"Aw no, you're stayin' this time. No more of this skippin' shit!"

"But…I'm not actually a real member?"

"Well congratulations, asshole! You jus' been promoted!" And then he found himself sailing through the air, hitting the pinball machine in the corner and causing it to descend downward into AVALANCHE's secret meeting room. As it came to a stop, he fixed his goggles and brushed off his work overalls before sighing and taking a seat on the nearby couch with his arms crossed.

The rest of the members trickled down, taking their own preferred seats in the room. Jessie sat at her computer desk, Biggs was leaning against the wall, Wedge sat in the lone armchair, and Tifa plopped herself down at his right. She placed a hand on his knee and gave him a worried smile, looking him over for any possible damage.

"Are you okay? Barret didn't hurt you, did he?"

"Trust me; it'll take a lot more than being thrown by an angry bear to kill me."

"I heard that, you fuck!" Barret was the last one descend, Marlene propped up on his right shoulder and held in place by the cold steel of his arm. He set her down gently before rushing over to the corner and pounding away at a punching bag that had seen better days.

"So why are you all back so early?" the brunette questioned, causing the dark-skinned man to roar and increase the tempo of his strikes. Jessie spun her chair to look at her, the metal squeaking in place as it came to a stop.

"They increased security at reactor number one. Like, a lot. We had no way of getting in without some sort of casualty."

"GODDAMN BASTARDS!"

Naruto found himself suddenly tapping at his bicep, thinking on what he had just heard. If they deemed it alright for him to be there, might as well make it good right? They had a problem but the only thing that kept coming to mind was hire a ninja. But this wasn't the Elemental Nations and he didn't feel like exposing himself just yet. But wait…there were others out there besides ninja to hire for jobs…

"Why not hire a mercenary?"

He suddenly felt all eyes on him and it made him wonder if he said something wrong due to the silence. Jessie found herself rubbing her temple in thought before turning to her computer and started typing away at whatever she was thinking.

"You know…that could actually work Naruto. We could find a mercenary to help us get inside and fight the guards. We slip in, plant the bomb and-"

"And we give the Planet an extension on its life." Biggs finished for her, nodding along to the suggestion.

"But don't those guys cost a lot?" Wedge added, bringing down the hopes of his two friends.

"Fuck that! We can just find one anyways an' haggle! People always seem ta agree when a gun is shoved in their face." Barret grinned, holding up his gun arm for emphasis and causing the others to sigh. Jessie seemed to finish whatever she was working on before hooking the electronics up to the large television screen in the room and turning it on. A crude poster appeared, asking for any and all mercenaries or warriors to apply at Tifa's Seventh Heaven for a job.

"It's pretty basic at the moment, but once I fix it up and make copies we can spread it around and try and find a new member for the time being. That was a good idea, Naruto. Thanks." He just smiled sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his head at the compliment as she beamed at him.

"ALRIGHT! We'll go with blondie's suggestion and get some more muscle! That damn reactor is gonna be gone in a big boom real soon, an' it'll all be thanks to AVALANCHE!" The others cheered out in response before quieting down and breaking off to do their own thing, causing Naruto to sit and scratch his head in wonder. He felt a hand grab his own and pull him to his feet before realizing it was Tifa, who gave him a smile and motioned over to the elevator.

"Meetings over, so we can go back upstairs." Ah, so it was done…kinda anticlimactic there. Oh well. Giving her a nod, he walked over to the machine and hit it to make it go back up like he had learned but nothing actually happened. So he tried again and still nothing happened. The next three times didn't change a thing until Wedge finally walked over and mercifully hit the other side near the left bumper, causing it to groan and mumble due to its shifting gears before slowly beginning to rise.

"Ah…thanks, Wedge." The man smiled and nodded before heading back over and reclining in his spot. Tilting his head, he stayed quiet until reaching the top floor before he turned and leveled a glare at the still silent Tifa. "You know…you could have told me that the trigger was on the **other** side instead of staying quiet and watching me suffer."

The woman reached over, grabbing one of his whiskered cheeks in a soft pinch as she wiggled the tanned flesh around. "What. And miss out on you losing against a machine? Please." He pushed at her hand in anger but it was half-hearted and she knew it. As she moved to the bar, he moved towards the door but found himself stopped in his tracks by her melodic voice.

"You'll come back tomorrow, right?"

He looked over his shoulder, blue orbs twinkling in merriment as he rubbed at his chin, making it seem like it was a massive decision on his part. "Mmmmmm, maybe. Why, do you want me to or something?" he joked, but stopped when he saw her nod without a second thought.

"Of course." Her voice had grown softer as she frowned into what he had come to call her 'worried voice'. "You're our friend but we barely see you. You don't always have to come over just for a drink, you know."

"And you don't always have to stop by for a new piece of materia." He smiled at her, turning around fully in the doorway to get a better view. "Deal? Besides, if Seventh Heaven's beautiful poster girl wishes it then I suppose I shall grant her this wish. Farewell!" With a low yet sweeping bow, he waded underneath the suspended doors in a comical fashion as he took his leave, not seeing her reaction but knowing exactly what he had done.

She fought her best against it, but couldn't control her facial muscles as they cracked upwards into a glowing smile. With a soft, content sigh, the martial artist went back to cleaning her bar counter with a happier outlook.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"We've found one! We found a suitable fighter for the reactor!" Jessie screeched happily as she descended into the base, startling Barret out of his nap on the couch. The large man jumped up and began shooting around, not actually paying attention to what was going on. Miraculously, no people or important objects were shot in the process during his panic.

Once expletives were cursed and punches were thrown, the group had finally calmed down enough to actually form a whole conversation. The female ANVALANCHE member had been approached by a man looking for work and she had asked him about his background and other things of that nature. He seemed legitimate but they would have to do a more thorough background check before proceeding with their plans.

"So where is he anyways?"

"Hmm? Oh, I told him to wait outside for now until we find out what to do next."

"THEN GO GET HIS ASS INSIDE, DAMMIT!"

The brown-haired girl shot to her feet, snapping off a quick salute before rushing over to the pinball machine and ascending to the ground floor. Barret stood in the same spot, arms crossed as his foot tapped out a steady rhythm against the hardened floor. Every hour that passed meant another hour Shinra drained more energy from the earth. This guy damn well better be able to help them or Barret was going to go on a mindless rampage.

'_Shit…if this asshole's a bust I might even have to ask Blondie to tag along. He makes weapons an' shit so that's gotta mean he knows how ta use the damn things. Feh..._'

Naruto himself was currently walking towards the bar, having completed the projects he was working on and even able to finally bring his kunai and shuriken amounts back up to respectable levels. How long they would last in battle if he ever found himself in a fight, however, still remained to be seen.

He could feel the whispers in his mind becoming more and more belligerent, turning into a sort of annoying white noise in the background that he did his best to ignore. Whistling to himself, he found the day to be rather peaceful. It must have rained sometime on the upper plate because the weather actually seemed cooler than normal, not to mention the condensation dripping from the rusted metal. Dressed in a pair of loose black pants and a grey long sleeved shirt, the blonde found himself on the path back to Seventh Heaven to take up Tifa on her offer to stop on by.

Climbing up the familiar steps yet again, the shinobi found himself pause when a pair of bright blue eyes that seemed to glow in the synthetic lighting met his own. They belonged to a guy leaning up against the bar's outer wall next to the doorway, and to Naruto he looked like an altered copy of himself. Minus the whisker marks, both men had azure eyes and spiky blonde hair that seemed to defy the laws of gravity.

He wore a pair of dark purple pants and a sleeveless purple turtleneck along with a pair of combat boots and combat ready gloves. On his left shoulder he wore one metallic pauldron with bolts extending from the base. The most notable feature, however, was the massive zanbatou resting on his back. Shaped like a very wide and straight katana, it looked like something Zabuza would have loved to hold in his hands. The thing that irked Naruto was the fact this guy seemed as emotionless as a Hyuuga. Oh joy…

"Uh, hi! My name's Naruto. Are you heading into the bar?"

The man blinked once, the most expression he seemed to show at the moment before finally deciding to answer the query. "Cloud. And I was told to wait outside."

"Really? That's weird…wait, are you here for the mercenary job they posted?" Cloud nodded jerkily, releasing a sigh before growing lost in his thoughts. Finally he decided to ask his own question, one Naruto felt was nagging at him for awhile now.

"Are you aware of what the specifics are?"

"Sorta. I feel that they should explain it though, I'm just the resident blacksmith and not actually a part of the mission they have planned."

"Oh? I've been meaning to have this checked out for awhile now but I never found the time. I'm akways worried the Buster Sword is going to break one day." He reached behind, grasping the red cloth of the blade's handle and pulling it forward. The motion was smooth, refined. It showed he could handle the weapon as easily as if it was a regular stick you'd find on the ground.

The blonde leaned forward, rubbing his chin contemplatively as he eyed the steel. Up close, Naruto could easily find the scratches and dents marring the blade while showing how battle worn it truly was. But the metal shined brightly in the light, proving that Cloud actually took care of his weapons and kept up their worth.

"It looks a bit dinged up but I think I can help you out. I recently ordered a new type of polish that the excavators in Bone Village up on the Northern Continent use to help restore any items they dig up. It will fill in the cracks and such and harden into a dense foam. You'll probably have to sand the excess off to smooth it down."

"Fine by me." The tone of his voice betrayed his stoic façade, proving the sword was truly very dear to him. Naruto straightened his spine and smiled at that, readjusting the ever present goggles wrapped around his forehead.

"Sounds good! Just stop by my store when you're finished here and we'll work from there." He pointed out where to find his building and Cloud said he'd see him there. As the ninja went to finally walk inside he was barreled over by a brown and grey blur that stopped on a dime in front of the blonde still standing on his feet.

"CLOUD! Good news! They want to meet you!...Naruto? Why are you on the ground?"

"You just ran over him." The Soldier deadpanned, returning the Buster Sword to the holster on his back. "He was walking through the door when you came bursting out."

"What? Oh, I'm so sorry!" she dropped to her knees, grabbing him by his shirt and hoisting him into a dazed sitting position. Noting his head was lolling from side to side, she shook him a bit forcefully to try and bring him out of his dizziness. Sadly it only made it worse until Jessie felt a hand press against her shoulder and stop her ministrations.

"Jessie was it? I believe you should let him recover by his own power. You're only making it worse." The female felt her heart skip a beat as she looked up into a pair of blue irises not belonging to Naruto. His gaze seemed so intense yet the small smile touching his lips made it seem all the more special to her.

"A-ah? Y-yeah. Well then let's go then, shall we?" She stood, brushing her pants of any dirt as Cloud lifted Naruto to his feet. Placing him against the wall, the two walked inside to leave him to gather his senses in peace. Clutching at his face, the shinobi slowly felt himself drifting back to reality before plotting revenge against a certain cute and ponytailed freedom fighter.

And then he noticed something was off…it was quiet. Not fully placid, as he could still hear the noise emanating from the people outside and the buzzing that accompanied the different machines. No, the whispering he had grown used to had gone fully silent. For a moment he was worried that when Jessie had struck him, she might have damaged him somewhat. Until the silence suddenly surged forth into a loud whisper that grew and grew until he was clutching at his head in pain.

Once sentence was spoken. One sentence that started the revolution and caused Naruto to finally understand. And as he gripped at his sweaty yellow locks, he knew it was the sentence he had been waiting years to hear.

"_**…**__it_ has begun…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_A/N: I started playing FFVII again and it made me think of a new story. And well, here it is._

_Has anyone ever thought of this idea in a Naruto/FFVII crossover? The toad's sage mode is literally a glorified version of the Ancient's innate power. Except they are always in tune with the planet instead of having to gather its power as a boost. He's technically become an Ancient, making it a trio to join Aerith and Sephiroth.  
_

_Anyways, here ya go. Enjoy._


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: No! I don't own Final Fantasy VII or Naruto! For the love of all that is holy, stop asking me!

Chapter 2:

"I hope they're okay…"

"They'll be fine, Tifa-chan. They have SOLDIER boy with them this time."

"I know, but I still can't help worrying about their safety."

The woman felt a finger poke her forehead, making her blink and rub at the slightly tingling flesh in response. "It's not good to worry needlessly. Besides, it's not like you can go out and join them at the moment. So instead of worrying your pretty little head off, make sure the warriors have a good meal and warm atmosphere to come back to after a job well done."

Tifa smiled warmly as she leaned against the counter, Naruto once again sitting at the bar and poking idly at his own food. Shima happened to be busy that day watching over a large brood of tadpoles, and in essence forcing the shinobi to actually head out and scrounge up his own dinner for once. Naturally, he took the easy way out and ordered some of Tifa's own delicious cooking. Plus it gave her and Marlene some friendly company as the rush crowd filtered in.

At about 8:30, Naruto was privileged with throwing out a group of patrons who had gotten rowdy and a bit too handsy with the beautiful hostess. The Lockheart female proved to all those present that she was more than a pretty face or helpless woman. The blonde was unsure if any of those poor guys would ever be able to walk correctly again, not that he actually cared. Besides, it was freakin' hilarious to watch!

He laughed again, causing her to raise an eyebrow in question until he explained what he was thinking about. Her own face dropped into a scowl at the memory before she joined in with a few sniggers of her own. The noise slowly petered off between the two, leaving them in a comfortable silence as Naruto finished his meal. Suddenly, he asked a question that had been bugging him for awhile.

"So how do you know Strife-san?" A soft smile once again touched her lips as she used a new rag to wipe down a freshly cleaned glass. Her eyes slid out of focus, gaining a far-away glaze as Tifa became lost in the realm of her memories.

"Cloud was my childhood friend from Nibelheim. He left years ago to join SOLDIER and work on his dream to become stronger."

"_Was_? Shouldn't he _still_ be your friend?" Her crimson eyes refocused sharply, settling on the blonde as the martial artist set the glass down with a 'clink'.

"I don't know…he seems colder than I remember. Sure, we've seen him smile but his eyes...they're always indifferent. He's the same as I remember but different, you know? It's like he's someone else now."

"Sooooooo…get to know him again? Just because you've been out of contact doesn't mean the bonds you both formed have disappeared. Give him some time."

"That's if he even stays around. He mentioned he would only do this one job."

"Uh…convince him to stay?"

"You seem to be on a roll with your 'wise advice'. Tell me how then, Mr. Know-it-all." Naruto paused, scratching at the area of his head constricted by his ever present goggles before he cupped his chin in thought. His face was so screwed up in concentration that she was barely able to hold in her giggles at the silliness he was emitting.

"No idea!" the blonde finally chirped, grinning stupidly as he scratched at the back of his skull. That did it; Tifa began to laugh at the absurdity, soon joined in by the shinobi. The two finally calmed out enough for the busty woman to wheeze out a sentence.

"It'll be tough…" Naruto just shrugged a response, the only indication he had moved being the minor rise of his shoulders. More time passed as the two continued to talk, every hour bringing in a different crowd and people. Tifa had decided to take a break to freshen up and use the restroom when the saloon doors clattered open forcefully. Naruto swung around in his seat only to see the rowdy customers from before flanked by a bunch of fresh goons.

The shinobi just sighed loudly, already knowing exactly where this scenario was heading. The bar quickly emptied as frightened customers ran away, along with a couple of the thugs taking post next to the door. Luckily Marlene was in the back with the bar's waitress and so couldn't be taken as a hostage.

As the leader started spouting off generic bad guy speech #4 involving respect, hostages, etc., it caused him to sigh yet again. Dropping his silverware noisily against his plate, the blonde grabbed a pair of cooking knives from behind the bar and frowned at their frailty. '_Why didn't I think to bring any of my own weapons? Idiot!_' Spinning the two blades in his hands as he stood, he stopped their gyrations with a reverse grip and turned to face the threats.

"Hey, fellas! Wanna see a magic trick?" A few of them scoffed, ready and willing to hurt the man who had the gall to throw them out earlier. All of them failed to notice his neutral face slowly but surely break out into a maniacal grin.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Tifa? What's that noise?"

"Don't worry Marlene, I promise you it's nothing. I'm going back out front to work some more, but could you please keep straightening this room out?"

"Of course!" Tifa smiled, patting the short girl on the head and rising from her kneeling position. Heading towards the door, her smile faded away as her mouth pursed together into a thin line. What the hell was going on out there, and what was the cause of all that racket? Naruto better not be trying to score free drinks again.

Opening the wooden barrier, she paused in hers steps only to shirk back behind the door and peek out through the crack she made. From what she could see there was one guy fighting off a bunch of other guys, and those poor saps were getting their asses kicked.

One sporting a mohawk was pinned to the wall by one of her cooking knives, scaring him badly and causing him to let out a loud squawk of surprise. Hey, wait a minute! That was one of her good knives! How dare he-wait, a flash of spiky blonde? Naruto? She didn't see any purple clothing so it couldn't be Cloud. But Naruto never mentioned he knew how to fight...wasn't he just a blacksmith?

Tifa suddenly slapped her forward, feeling incredibly dumb at never noticing the revelation before. He was a blacksmith. **Blacksmith**. A person who makes weapons, meaning he has to know them pretty intimately to forge them from scratch. And that usually means knowing how to wield them for battle.

Duh.

She watched as he ducked under a straight punch, returning the hit with an uppercut of his own. Using that momentum he then proceeded to _run up the wall and the damn ceiling _before pushing off into an elbow drop down onto another. With a twist he used the last knife in his clutches to cut the leaders forearm and cause the man to drop the lead pipe he was holding.

As the weapon clattered to the ground Naruto grabbed him by the collar and actually lifted him off the ground. With his feet hanging about half a foot above the floor, their faces were brought so close together she could have sworn they were about to kiss. She couldn't exactly hear what her friend had said but a sudden gust of wind forced the guy to go flying out the door and into the street. To further cause the woman's jaw to drop was when _more_ Naruto's suddenly poofed into existence and picked up the other unconscious or injured goons and proceeded to throw them back out.

As soon as they appeared, they were gone. Like magic…or materia.

What kind did he have? Wait, was he holding out on them with some super special materia spell? Oh that will not bode well for his future. Being able to make clones of herself? Oh the possibilities…

Naruto sighed for a third time since entering the Seventh Heaven bar that night, having actually used some of his shinobi skills to fight against a bunch of common street toughs. While totally overkill, he had to keep his skills up somehow. Every weekend he would sneak out to the plains of Midgar or pop back to Mt. Myouboku to train but for once he didn't actually care if anyone saw him. Sure it would raise a bunch of questions and he saw no point in lying but the question was would anyone actually believe him? To those in the slums he was just Naruto Uzumaki: metalworker and salesman of mystical orbs. Not Naruto Uzumaki: shinobi of the leaf.

With a quick tug he pulled free the still stuck knife, picking off the fabric still attached to the blade. One of his clones had just ripped the man free and chucked him out, leaving the blade still five inches deep within the wooden wall. The metal still looked fine so once he cleaned it then hopefully Tifa would not notice anything out of the ordinary.

"He-herm."

Well, shit.

A hand grabbed his shoulder, applying some pressure as he continued staring at the wall. He could see the opposite gloved hand hovering over his other shoulder, making grabbing motions as he felt the owner of the two limbs move closer to his personal space. "My kitchenware, please." He flicked it so the tip of the blade now rested between his fingers as he gently placed it in her waiting palm. A few more seconds passed and he heard a foot begin to tap in an agitated staccato, causing him to slightly wince but continue holding his ground.

"Naruto, look at me."

"No."

"Look at me."

"Nope."

"Look at me!"

"No! I can't get in trouble if I don't meet your eyes!"

"You might not get in trouble but you might get hurt instead!"

"…." Finally relenting he spun in his place to meet the impassive red orbs of Tifa. He was expecting anger or maybe even some sort of disappointment, but indifference? Totally out of the blue. It was pretty weird.

"Why didn't you ever tell us you could fight?"

"Truthfully? You never asked." Her eyes narrowed before he clutched at his nose with a small yelp, having been flicked rather forcefully on the cartilage like a naughty puppy who was caught in the act. Shaking her head, she released a small hum before returning her attention to the blonde.

"That was a stupid answer and you know it."

Naruto simply exhaled slowly, fidgeting slightly as Tifa had yet to release his shoulder from her grip. "Yes…yes I know how to fight. I've known since I was 8 yet I never really put it into practice until I was twelve. Class spars at the academy weren't exactly life-threatening. On the weekends I go out to train and make sure I keep my skills up."

"But what-"

"Clones." He cut in, causing her to pout at the fact she couldn't finish her statement. "I can make copies of myself. How else do you think I finish my projects so quickly? I just never let anyone else see that I could." She finally pulled back a bit, her fingers not really digging into his skin and clothing anymore but still lax in their place.

"Okay. So what type of materia is that?"

"None." He said simply. "It's chakra. My body's own energy." He paused, scratching at his chin in thought. "I've been taught how to use it seeing as it's a major factor of my actual job. I'm a…"

Here it comes.

"Ninja."

More silence followed the revelation before a sudden girly squeal pierced the quiet and caused him to wince at the volume. Tifa finally pulled her hand back and did a sort of victory motion, pumping her fist and hopping heartily in place. "Ha! I knew you were from Wutai!" Her chest was bouncing and jiggling from her motions and god help him Naruto couldn't tear his eyes away. Was that why she wore such tight clothing, to distract enemies? Whether she was actually oblivious or completely in the know on what she was doing, she seemed to pay it no mind. He really didn't care either as he did his best to burn the images into his mind forever.

Finally breaking her spell and tearing his eyes away from her breasts, the shinobi finally seemed to find his voice. "A-actually you're still wrong. Still not from Wutai. Just…very, very far away." She finally paused in her cheerful bouncing, landing on the ground with a slight 'paf' as the soles of her boots connected with the hardwood floor.

"Right…Konoha. Which _doesn't_ exist."

"Not here on Gaia, exactly."

"And what the hell does that mean, mister?" Uh oh, Tifa never swore. She was getting annoyed. She moved closer, peering at him softly with those damn vermillion eyes. Not even Sakura ever seemed to be able to sway him this much!

**KLUNK KLUNK KLUNK**

The blonde grinned lightly at the soft sounds of someone making their way towards the bar door which in turn caused the woman standing before him to scrunch up her nose quizzically. "We have company, and more than likely a little eavesdropper." A small 'eep' filtered in from the backroom causing him to chuckle. "I'll explain later, okay? You've been patient with me and I thank you for that. More than likely it'll be hard for you to believe what I say."

He felt a small jab as her finger poked him in the chest. "Promise?"

"Yeah, I promise…" Dammit, why'd he ever mention that he never broke his promises? Oh right, stupid Barret and Biggs got him drunk that one time and that's when he promised to help them out. This time it was Tifa's turn to smile as she pulled her finger back and flicked him in the very spot where her finger was seconds before.

"I knew you would, or else I'd have to kick your butt."

"Is that so? Like you could try."

"Oh? That sounds like a challenge."

**BAM**

The doors blew open once again as Barret rushed in, his gun arm already pointed towards the ceiling as he prepared to fire. "EVERYONE GET THE FUC-huh?" For once, the establishment was actually barren save for the lone two and it wasn't because of his doing. Not only that, but Tifa had drifted closer to Naruto's personal space as he stood against the wall without realizing her actions and with her hand now resting on his chest. The other still idly held the knife at her side.

The large man snorted before shaking his head and turning around. "Wow…didn't know ya was like that, Tifa. And forcin' Blondie into yer games? Didn't know ya was a dominatin' type, neither. Jus' lemme know when ya both're done playin'." Naruto did his best to stifle the laughter that nearly escaped as he caught the confused look on the woman's face before it quickly morphed into morbid understanding.

She nearly jumped away with a blush staining her cheeks as she dropped the used cooking utensils in the sink. Not meeting anyone's eyes she began cooking with Marlene who had shambled back into the main room during the event and had started dinner for the freedom fighters.

"I-it's not what you think!" Her squeaked reply finally did it. The shinobi released his laughter, causing the dark-skinned man to join in and force Tifa to try and hide her burning face. Dammit, it wasn't what he was insinuating!

Naruto just slid back into his spot at the bar again with a snicker, causing the woman to bend over the counter and snap his goggles against his forehead. She just gave him a smug smile, raising an eyebrow and cocking her head at the look he gave her as though daring him to retaliate. "Welcome back!" she suddenly greeted happily, causing the ninja to stare at her strangely before looking over his shoulder.

There stood Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie, all battered, bruised, and looking worse for the wear as they slowly trudged up to one of the tables and dropped into their seats. The portly freedom fighter seemed to regain some of his vigor as he took a large whiff of the now scented atmosphere. Almost immediately he began to salivate as Tifa walked over and placed down the plates of food she had been preparing for their return. As the trio heartily dug in, Naruto walked over and sat down at one of the open seats.

"So?"

Jessie downed some of her drink before wiping her mouth with her napkin and giving him a large smile. "We have to thank you, Naruto. Your suggestion helped out immensely, and we were able to take out the reactor!" She released a happy squeal before going off on a tangent about 'how cool the explosion was' and how 'heroic Cloud seemed as he fought against Shinra'.

Speak of the devil…

Mr. Strife had just reentered the bar, looking better off than the others but still gazing around with weariness in his eyes. The young girl behind the bar rushed forward, yelling for her father in happiness only to screech to a halt and back away as she realized her error. The man before her was that new guy that looked like Naruto, and like with all new acquaintances her shyness immediately overtook her emotions.

Her face turned extremely red before Marlene jumped slightly and ran towards the storeroom. Tifa rushed over in an interception, calming the girl with soothing words before she stood and moved over to her childhood friend with the young girl at her heels. "Welcome home, Cloud. Looks like everything went well. Did you get in any arguments with Barret?" The man smirked lightly and nodded, causing the woman to giggle behind her hand. "I should have known."

Smiling back, the bartender placed a hand on Marlene's head as she hid behind the woman's long legs, her other hand resting on her hip. "Barret's always pushing others around and you were always getting into fights back at Nibelheim. I…was worried." She leaned a bit closer, noticing a glare of yellow protruding from his hand and upon closer inspection saw that it was a flower. Curious, as those plants barely grew anywhere in this forsaken dump of a city.

Seeing her line of vision he peeked downwards only to lift his gloved hand and bring the small flower up to eye level. He suddenly kneeled, holding out the flower to Marlene with a small smile. She paused for a moment before gingerly taking the bright plant and beaming back at him, still hiding behind the woman's limbs.

Footsteps from outside gave only a minor warning to the buildings occupants before the AVALANCHE leader finally reentered the establishment. Marlene finally broke from her timid shell as she rushed forward, jumping into her adopted father's arms. He set her upon his shoulder once again before seeing the gift in her hand and raising an eyebrow in question. "Where'd ya get the flower?"

"From Cloud!" she chirped happily, causing the man to send the blonde a look. Nodding slightly, he returned his attention to the young female perched atop his shoulder.

"I see. Did you thank him?"

"…thank you, Cloud."

Barret patted Marlene lovingly on the head before turning to his teammates and once again entered his leader mode. With a bark he ordered the troops into the hideout before walking over to the pinball machine and raising his arm to cause it to move. Glancing over his shoulder he sent Naruto a piercing look, only to get a dejected sigh in return.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be there."

"Damn right you will." he growled before starting the machine and beginning his descent. The three fighters followed soon after, jumping down into the room followed closely by Cloud. Tifa wandered back over to the bar counter, sending the remaining blonde an apologetic look for Barret's irritability, only for him to wave her off and head down himself.

Dropping back down onto the couch he heard Barret and Cloud conversing about the mission, only for the leader to get pissed at the former SOLDIER after one of his snarky comments. Biggs did his best to hold the man back but it was like a child trying to hold back a frenzied bear. Biggs was sent flying into the corner but it did come with the price of calming the irritation of one-armed male.

Cloud, still not seeing any danger in the situation, got right in Barret's face and told him he wanted his pay. It was like watching a soap opera as the two bickered back and forth, and let's not forget when Tifa appeared and tried her best at diplomacy. The spiky blonde pretty much told everyone he didn't care for Shinra, SOLDER, AVALANCHE, or even the planet before he took the elevator back to the surface followed closely by his chesty friend. Barret found himself once again pounding away against this punching bag unmercifully as Marlene cheered him on. Biggs was still dazed in the corner, Wedge was reading a book, and Jessie was watching the big screen as the news anchor reported about their attack on one of the Mako Reactors.

Naruto found himself sitting alone quietly before clicking his tongue and looking around the room. He felt out of place at the moment, and the tense atmosphere wasn't helping any. Tapping his finger against his bicep he decided to stand and pretty much brought everyone's attention crashing directly onto him.

"So…congrats on the victory but, uh, I think I'm gonna go."

"Yeah, whatever. Thanks fer stayin' behind and watchin' the place. Anything excitin' happen while we was away?"

Naruto scratched awkwardly at the nape of his neck before explaining he threw out a few goons who made trouble in the bar after Tifa took _good_ care of them. Barret just chuckled, knowing perfectly well how she was in those situations.

"Naruto beat them up too! The all came back with more people and me and Tifa were in the backroom and then we heard noises and Tifa watched as Naruto beat them all up like it was nothing! And then he said he was also a ninja!" Marlene was breathing slightly heavy, pretty much having said it all with taking the time to breathe.

'_You little snitch!_'

Jessie and a newly woken Biggs whined at the revelation before reaching for their wallets and removing some gil, which quickly found its way into the eagerly waiting hands of Wedge and Barret. Seeing the blank look upon the shinobi's face, the ponytailed woman took it upon herself to explain their actions.

"We had a bet going on that you were more than you appeared. Barret and Wedge said you actually knew how to fight…"

"And?"

Jessie pouted lightly, trying not to meet his eyes because she knew she'd get lost in them. Damn blue-eyed, blonde-haired hotties! It didn't help that there was now two of them! "…Biggs and I bet that you were just a normal blacksmith that most likely made weapons so he could just feel cooler."

"I told ya he knew how to use them weapons o' his! Can't get good at makin' 'em unless you know how to fight with 'em!"

"Well thanks for the vote of confidence you two, but yes I do know how to throw a punch if necessary."

Barret was rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he watched the two go back and forth before he laughed, walking past the others as he moved towards the exit. "Shit, I knew it was a good idea to leave you behind then. Extra defense at the base. You was the reason all those guys were knocked out outside of the bar, weren't ya?"

Naruto just nodded before muttering under his breath about how Tifa caught him red-handed. "So were you ever going to tell us about your abilities?" Wedge asked, placing his novel down with a bookmark in between the pages.

"Yeah…one day maybe if it ever came up. I sorta already explained some things to Tifa-chan before you all got back but I promised I'd tell her more."

"Good, because you're going to explain it all to us as well."

"Yeah…I figured." Naruto said blandly, answering Biggs as he got ready to ride the elevator up to the ground floor. Muffled voices drifted down belonging to the two members not present, and it sounded like Cloud was getting impatient. Frowning, the large man rushed past and actually crawled up to the bar like a monkey. More shouts soon followed, not shocking the four left behind. Barret's main way of speaking to anyone usually involved yelling.

Silence finally reigned throughout the building causing Biggs to sigh and sit down on the couch. "Well, I guess that's over with. Must have went well or something, seeing as how everything's quiet."

"I suppose I'll go check it out. If I'm not back in five minutes…well, I've probably gone home. Later!" With a quick wave of his hand he hit the correct side of the pinball machine and returned to the surface. Nearly as soon as he stepped off, Cloud took his place and headed back down. He felt his eyebrow rise before shaking his head back and forth and looking over at the two other members of AVALANCHE.

"So how'd it go?"

"His ass is signed up fo' another mission!"

"Nice. Well, it's getting late so I suppose I'll get going. See you all later." He went to move past the small wall consisting of Barret and Tifa but a hand landed on each of his shoulders and forced him to stop in his spot. Naruto felt his eye twitch a little bit because he knew exactly what was coming next. "Can I move on my own or are you going to throw me again?"

The gun-user scoffed before tightening his grip. "Depends. Are you gonna leave when we let go?"

"Yes."

"At least he's honest about it." Tifa added, wrapping her free arm around his to keep him from moving. It also caused him to shiver slightly, given the fact her breasts were now pushing against him. "But you **did** promise you would explain, Naruto."

The sage felt himself sigh once again, cursing the fact she remembered before closing his eyes and motioning towards the hole in the ground. "After me, right?" Barret smiled, a vicious and feral smile, before tightly grabbing him by the shirt after Tifa let go and proceeded to throw him through the air.

As Naruto sailed through the bar and felt himself freefall upon entering the elevator shaft, he had to admit Barret had a pretty good arm on him.

Then he laughed at his little joke before his spine hit the pinball machine.

Damn his stupid arm.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He was…surprised. Surprised at the fact none of them were largely freaking out over the fact he was from another friggin' dimension all together. They all took it in stride, and he had no clue why. He decided to omit some of the more classified information like the fox as well as the fact he could, in essence, speak with the Lifestream. They probably already thought he was crazy enough. They did ask for him to demonstrate some of his moves though. He showed them the kage bunshin and henge, and Barret nearly started drooling at the fact that one of his members could produce an army that could inherently infiltrate an area without anyone being any the wiser. Maybe the people from Wutai actually had some abilities that resembled his own ninja skills...he might have to find out one day.

Naruto found himself gearing up back at his storefront the very next day, having been told to show up ready for combat. Since the cat was out of the bag he knew it was only a matter of time before he was asked to tag along on a reactor raid, but the very next day after they destroyed the last one? Take some time to rest a bit, sheesh. It didn't really matter though, seeing as the Planet had finally called him into action anyways.

It felt a bit weird being dressed in his sage clothes, having had them hanging in his closet for the past few years. Shima had tailored them to fit his taller and slightly bulkier frame, but other than that he felt like he was sixteen again and residing back in Konoha. Tying his hitai-ate firmly against his forehead he slung the leather strap of his summoning scroll across his chest before making some clones to work at the shop. Nodding to himself (literally, as a clone stood before him and nodded back) he pulled on his goggles and let them dangle around his throat. Who knows, he might need them sometime later on.

Putting one foot in front of the other he took the well memorized path back to the Seventh Heaven and quickly ascended the staircase. Inside he found Barret, Tifa, and Cloud standing around conversing with each other as Marlene stood idly behind the bar counter. Raising a hand in greeting he opened his mouth to the trio. "Hiya."

"Good, ya made it." The large man said, eyeing his new outfit with interest. "So that's yer battle clothes, eh? Fuckin' strange, if ya ask me."

"Hey! Don't diss the orange!"

"I didn't say nuthin 'bout yer clothes bein' orange, just weird."

"Oh…heh, sorry. Old reaction."

Barret scoffed, rolling his eyes as he had a feeling he knew exactly why he must have shouted like that. Bright orange clothing that would cause you to be found in a heartbeat? Wasn't he supposed to be a ninja? "Whatever…"

"So are you fully prepared?" Cloud asked, eyeing the scroll hanging against his fellow blonde's back. He received a nod and a grin in response as Naruto adjusted his headband, the cloth ends billowing slightly after he had released them from his grasp.

"So what reactor are we hitting. It's been years since I've been on an actual mission and to tell you the truth I'm excited!" He found himself bouncing on the balls of his feet slightly like a young child, causing Tifa to giggle and the boys to smirk. Was he really twenty one years old too?

"We're heading for reactor number five. You, on the other hand, have a whole different assignment." Tifa added after finally stifling her laughter. "While we're hitting that area, you'll be heading off to reactor number three for a double knockout."

"Them bastards won't know what hit 'em!"

"Uh, cool…how do I get to number three then?"

"Follow us to the train. It loops around the whole city so we'll let you know when to get off. If that's all I think we should get going. The more time we spend standing around, the more time Shinra has to bolster their security." Cloud walked over to the wall and gently set the Buster Sword upon its place at his back. Shaking slightly, he felt the leather bracer around his torso settle into place with the added weight. "Is everyone ready?" The others nodded, fingering the items and materia in their possession.

It was go time.

Leaving a clone behind to watch over Marlene as she tended to the shop, the group found themselves boarding the train that coasted upwards towards the Midgar plates. Barret pretty much scared everyone out of the car except for one Shinra employee that almost wet his pants when he brought the man's anger down upon him. Tifa had to admonish him to finally get the big guy to calm down.

Naruto took one of the open seats in the middle of the transport, folding his arms behind his head as he silently looked towards the ceiling. Infiltration missions were never his forte, as he preferred all out fights to being sneaky and quiet. But he would do this, as the life of the Planet depended on him to protect the Lifestream.

A soft rustling to his left signified someone sitting next to him, only to reveal it to actually be Tifa. The girl was looking at him worriedly again, something he noticed she had been doing ever since he revealed he wasn't just a lowly blacksmith. He didn't like seeing her all sad. It didn't seem natural.

"You alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine…are you?"

He tilted his head to the side, just enough to keep her in his peripheral vision as he sat there. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well…" she bit her lip, unsure of how to proceed. I mean, yes everyone believed in what he had told them, but it was still rather life changing. Other worlds? Dimensions? It was mind boggling. "From what you told us you accidentally wound up here and can't go home, right? the only way to make it back is help save the planet...you're being asked to fight for a world that isn't your own, possibly even die. Doesn't that scare you?"

His mouth quirked into an expression she couldn't read, and his eyes still weren't looking at her. "No, not really. If I don't help then the whole world is literally going to die, leading to the deaths of everyone that lives on it. That includes Cloud, Barret, Marlene, Biggs, Wedge, Jessie, and most of all you. I'm not going to let that happen. My own world is safe for the moment since I'm not there and no I still won't tell you the reason why."

"Alright. What if…what if the time comes and you're able to finally go back for good; would you?"

Naruto finally opened his eyes, twisting his head to look intently at the woman sitting at his side. That was actually a pretty good question she presented. Even Barret and Cloud were silent, having been listening in from their own seats situated across from the pair. Would he? Sure, life had been boring these past few years as he waited for the Planet to let him know that it was time to fight, but he still enjoyed it. He had made new friends, a new living…yes, the location could be a whole lot nicer but then again it was better than his old apartment. And that was just sad.

On one hand if he went back he would see all of his friends again. But Akatsuki would once again be on his ass as soon as they got a tiny hint that he was back in the Elemental Nations. But then again…it was his home and birthplace…

"To tell you the truth, I don't really know. Maybe if I find a big reason to stay then I will. I guess I'll just burn that bridge when the time comes."

"Okay…" She leaned back, feeling a bit better now that she knew his feelings on the situation. Truth be told, the martial artist would be quite saddened should he ever disappear one day. The two had become rather close friends ever since the day she had first walked into his shop, and the smiling blonde had become a rather permanent fixture in AVALANCHE. Hell, he was the very reason that both Biggs and Jessie decided to join up and caused their little family to grow.

_Biggs had once been a thug working for a man named Corneo in Sector 6's Wall Street but the man was rather dissatisfied with his job. The problem was he only really knew how to fight and jobs were pretty scarce in the Midgar slums. Not only that, but he had a debt to pay Corneo and the man was running out of patience. He had tried to pickpocket Naruto as he and Tifa had walked out of the armory located near the perverted crime lord's mansion. Biggs had slipped and wound up knocking himself out when the ninja went to stop him, totally unaware that a shadow clone had been the one to actually do the deed._

_When he finally came to he found himself tied up by the two who questioned him on his actions. Knowing that since he had failed in finding gil the Don would just off him anyways, he decided to tell them his reasons. "Would you like to make up for your past mistakes?" the blonde had asked him once he was finished, giving Biggs a look that made him feel very small. It wasn't like he enjoyed doing what Corneo asked him to do…it just paid the bills. Slowly nodding, he was taken to Sector 7 where he met Barret and the rest was history._

_Jessie had worked at the Honeybee Inn, a gentleman's club also located in Wall Street and a place frequented by men looking for a good time. Just like Biggs, it was a job she never loved but it helped earn money. Once, a few customers had gotten rowdy and wanted some action for things she wouldn't do after their time was finished and she had tried to run. Getting past the front doors she had rushed outside without looking-_

_-straight into Wedge and a newly inducted Biggs who just so happened to have been passing by. Seeing her frightened visage the two men fought off the pursuers before calming the woman and inviting her back to the bar so Tifa could check her over. When Jessie had laid eyes on Naruto she had immediately wanted to move into Sector 7 and try to find a new job. Hopefully one that didn't cater to tending to the needs of 'customers'._

_For a time the woman worked at Naruto's shop, manning the counter as he worked at the forge. Things went smoothly for a time before AVALANCHE discovered Jessie's affinity for tinkering with electronic devices, and Barret found himself wanting her on the team. From then on Jessie found herself as a pivotal member of AVALANCHE, helping to free the Planet from the tyranny of the Shinra Electric Company._

Back in the present Tifa felt her body lean slightly to the right, her shoulder nearly brushing against Naruto's as his eyes once again took on that far away look. The woman really hoped he would stay…she would miss him if he didn't.

Across the row Barret watched with a slightly amused smirk before he nudged the soldier next to him with his good arm. Cloud grunted lowly, wondering what exactly the man wanted. "You see that?" he asked softly, low enough for just Cloud to hear.

"Yeah. But why are you asking?" he asked, genuinely confused by the question. The dark-skinned man's smirk grew slightly as he motioned lightly to the two sitting across from him.

"Well…you an' Tifa go way back. Ain't it frustratin' seein' her get close to another guy? Hell, I think she might have'a crush on the blonde idiot or sumthin'. Never thought I'd see that day."

The blonde just rolled his eyes, groaning slightly before palming his face. "Tifa's a grown woman and can do whatever she wants. If she's fallen for someone then I'm happy for her." He finished with a smile directed at the two before he looked back at his boss. "Can we not talk about this though? I'd rather just keep my thoughts on the mission."

"Yeah, sure. Good you got that mentality. We'll get this shit done quicker if yer focused." Cloud nodded his agreement, idly fingering the hilt of his weapon as it rested at his side. Yes he was happy for her, but he couldn't stop the twinge of jealousy he felt upon seeing her sitting so close to him. It was his own fault after all…he just had to join Shinra and leave her behind.

"***Bing Bong* Good morning, and welcome to Midgar Lines. Arrival time at Sector 4 station will be 11:45 AM.**"

The four of them looked up in unison at the clock situated above the doorway. It currently showed 11:42 as the seconds hand ticked tirelessly around the glass circle. "It looks like we have about three more minutes until we hit the ID checkpoint." Tifa spoke, breaking the silence. Barret made a fist, shaking it as his grin one again became visible. The action caused his scars to stretch and give him a more sinister look that belied his true nature.

"Then that jus' means we're jumpin' off in three minutes."

"Naruto, have you looked at the Railway Monitor Map before?" the woman asked, poking him in the bicep as she pointed towards the rear of the car. The ninja just shook his head before suddenly finding an iron grip upon his wrist as he was dragged from his seat. "Cloud, what about you?"

"Jessie showed me during the last mission." He answered as he stood, returning the Buster Sword to his back. As Naruto and Tifa walked away they could hear Barret asking him how he could swing that hunk of metal around so easily. 'Because' was his reply.

Naruto soon found himself standing behind Tifa as she stood in front of a small monitor fashioned into the train wall. It popped on with a hiss, displaying a black backdrop with a green overlay of Midgar. "It's alright, you can move closer." she noted, seeing as he was about half a foot away. Gulping slightly, he moved forward until he stood behind her and to the right with about two inches of space. Seeing as she hadn't slugged him like Sakura would have, he guessed he was in the clear.

He watched as lights popped up one by one along a track, making him hazard a guess that they represented the path of the train. "Alright, as you can probably guess this is the train we're on." Tifa explained, pointing to the small dots. "Cloud, Barret and I will be jumping off at the checkpoint but your stop isn't until here." She finished, moving her finger east until it rested on a small spot near one of the reactors.

"So I only have two stops after yours? That won't be too hard then. I just have to stay hidden until I need to get off."

"Will you be alright by yourself?" Concern tinged her voice, causing the boy to grin at her good-naturedly.

"Awww, Tifa'chan's worried about me! I'm so lucky!" He had to dodge a small swipe at his head but there was barely any bite to it. "The question is are you going to be fine?"

"What, you think I can't take care of myself when the going gets tough?" Her fist lightly rapped his chin, though her voice promised pain. He grabbed the hand, lowering it to her side but kept it in his grip.

"No, I know you can. But that won't stop me from worrying about you."

"So sweet." She said, turning her hand so she could give his own a light squeeze. She hoped heavily that he didn't notice the faint blush that she could feel spreading over her face. His hand was warm...and she could feel it through her glove. The moment was cut off prematurely as the whole cabin bled red, the lights changing and flashing as a siren began its unearthly wail.

"Wasn't the checkpoint supposed to be down farther?"

"**Type A security alert! Unidentified passengers confirmed! A sweep of the cars shall commence shortly! I repeat, Type A security alert!**"

"What's goin' on?" Barret shouted, rushing towards the two with Cloud on his heels. They quickly released their grip and discreetly took a few steps away from each other. Jessie burst through the door in huff while shaking her head in an apologetic manner.

"We're in trouble! I'll explain later but we need to get to the next car before the doors lock!"

"FUCK!"

Pushing past other occupants of the different cars, they soon found themselves standing in the fourth car down. The alarm blared again, warning the passengers that security was being upgraded to its maximum level. They found Jessie wearing a red Shinra security uniform, Wedge was suddenly trussed up like a schoolchild, and Biggs was in a fedora, trenchcoat, and fake moustache. Barret gave them the once over before ripping open the door external door and pointing out to the scenery that continued to speed by as the train continued on its course.

"Alright, this is our stop!"

Naruto noticed Tifa stiffen in her spot, her lips whispering something that could barely be heard over the continuing klaxon. "…scary, huh?"

Cloud wiped at his uniform before resting a hand on his hip, his SOLDIER cockiness shining through even during such a tense situation. "It's too late to say that now. Why'd you tag along anyways?"

"Because…" She looked back over at her friend before her eyes flickered momentarily over to Naruto. It happened so fast no one actually caught it, and even Tifa wasn't sure if she had made that action. Was it because Naruto was now being put on the front lines and she didn't want to be left behind? Or maybe because the thought of him being out there alone would cause her to worry more than she usually did? Urg, this wasn't the time to think about that now.

"No time for that now, we have to go!"

"Alright, I've made up my mind! Watch closely, I'm gonna jump!" Feeling daring due to the adrenaline now pumping through her bloodstream, she turned and planted a quick kiss on Naruto's cheek before disappearing from everyone's view. He vaguely heard her say "For luck!" before the train doorway became empty once again. Cloud was next through the portal followed quickly by Barret. The remaining blonde jumped to the ceiling and glued the soles of his sandals to the metal.

The train began slowing to a halt before finally hissing to a complete stop. Shinra soldiers piled into the cars, thoroughly checking every person they could see for legitimate ID's. Naruto had henged into a matching metal brace so anyone that happened to look upwards wouldn't notice anything out of the ordinary. Five minutes later the train was moving again and he was in the clear. The three remaining AVALANCHE members had stepped off the train to join up with their missing friends, and from then on it was now a solo mission.

'_And now the fun begins…_'

He waited and waited. It was kinda boring not having anyone to talk to now but that was something he couldn't help. Noting his own stop was coming up he pulled the door open and counted to ten. With a pump of his calf muscles he was once again in freefall before channeling his chakra into his legs. A cloud of dust was raised as he made contact with the ground, cushioning his impact and keeping the bones in his legs in one whole piece.

He noticed a large grate set in the wall which he remembered Jessie had labeled as a ventilation duct into the reactor. Knocking it free, he set one foot inside before taking a deep breath and took the plunge. It felt like he slid about fifteen feet at a downward slope before dropping into a large metal shaft with a ladder at the end. After having to crawl through a maze of metallic ladders and random enemy monsters drawn to the reactor's Mako, Naruto slid down one more prepared slide before winding up in the building's main area.

"Seriously…more ladders? What the hell is this?" Not actually expecting an answer seeing as he was alone the shinobi just hopped over the railing and landed safely on a separate catwalk. Drawing closer to the core of the plant he was slightly confused. Shouldn't there have been more monsters here? After all, this was where the highest concentration of Mako energy resided. It was so quiet…it was putting him on edge.

Drawing closer he removed Jessie's time bomb from a sealing scroll in his jacket and attached it to the processing unit. '_Okay…it was the green one, right? _'

**Click**

The display flashed 00:00, causing him to groan and punch the machine. It released a beep before counting down from 45:29 and forced him to punch it again. This time the screen showed 10:00, causing him to nod and press the green button again. Stupid machines…

With the job all but finished the boy took off like a bat out of hell. No way was he sticking around to see what the inside of a flaming fireball looked like. What was really annoying was the fact the monsters werenow crawling out of the woodwork, as though sensing what he was trying to do and so would make an attempt to protect their home. A pair of floating blue fish named Blugu tried to hit him with a torrent of reinforced bubbles, only to fall from a set of well placed shuriken that punctured their fragile bodies like water balloons.

Running forward he slid to a halt inside of an elevator and swiftly pressed the button. By his guess, he had about eight and a half minutes until detonation. Plenty of time but still, he needed to go. With a ping and sense of vertigo the doors slid open and the blonde ran out, stopping because of a closed security door in his path. Groaning at the stupid barrier, he sent a clone down a nearby passageway for some good news. Twenty seconds later the metal cracked open as the memories of his clone reached him. Press three spaced buttons at once? What kind of dumb security measure was that?

What if there was an emergency and there was only one person to press the buttons? Idiots. Well, when your clone can make more clones it easily evens out the odds. Whistling reached his ears before he noticed the glint of metal in the air, giving a reason to use a chakra-enhanced jump to leap away. Not a second too late, neither, as a barrage of rockets hit the catwalk where he stood only moments before.

As the dust settled and demolished metal plummeted to the slums far below, Naruto could make out a slow clapping coming from somewhere he couldn't quite pinpoint. Out of the shadows strolled a man in a black suit, pants, and shoes. He was completely bald with a faint goatee and sunglasses shielding his eyes, and lastly a pair of leather gloves covering his hands. He continued clapping until he was about ten feet away from the ninja before he finally ceased his actions and stood idle.

"Very good. It seems President Shinra was right about AVALANCHE. They would most likely form another attack the very next day to try and catch us with our proverbial pants down, but to attack two places simultaneously? I wasn't aware that you people were that smart…" He grabbed the right branch of his glasses, pulling them from his face to clean them of any stray particles of dust. His coal grey eyes peered at the blonde before they were once again covered by the darkened lenses.

"Who the hell are you and why should I care that you're wasting my time?"

The man thumbed his nose before crossing his arms, trying to appear menacing in the filtered light. "I am Rude of the Turks. And you are?"

"…Naruto. By the way your name is stupid."

Rude grunted, adjusting his tie rather forcefully before he seemed to calm down and view his opponent with composure. "That wasn't very nice. I was hoping you would just give up but I guess we have to do this the hard way." With a quick tug he readjusted one of his gloves before crouching slightly with his fists extended. So he was a fist fighter, eh?

"Look, I don't have time for this. Normally I'd want to humor you but…" he raised his hands, forming a cross with the digits. Fifteen puffs of smoke filled the air before dispersing, causing the Turk to go slack-jawed at what he now saw. "Alright boys, this fucker is keeping us here with a ticking time bomb on our asses! What the hell are we going to do about it?" The clones and the original had formed a football huddle, psyching themselves up to get ready for the impending battle.

"WE'RE GONNA KICK HIS ASS!"

"WHAT WAS THAT? IT SOUNDED LIKE A DAMN MOSQUITO WAS BUZZING NEAR MY EAR!"

"KICK HIS GODDAMN ASS!"

"THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! UZUMAKI PLATOON, LET'S DO THIS!" Naruto clapped his hands loudly before thrusting his palm forward. The clones gave a battle cry before beginning their wild rush on the unprepared Rude who was now backpedaling in worry. The bald man snapped his fingers loudly, the sound somehow echoing over the blonde's roars as they reverberated around the large room. In response a large machine stepped out, barely fitting its mass upon the catwalk that the two (plus fifteen chakra constructs) were standing on. It was the Shinra Rocket Launcher bipedal tank unit, only about four times larger than the normal units that the company used to guard their reactors.

The copies immediately veered off course to swarm the machine as it released another volley of explosives at its target. Two of the clones were destroyed as the others jumped around and forced rasengans into the steel body. Even though its shell was being worn down by the gyrating chakra it was still able to stay upright, much to the surprise of Naruto and even Rude. Apparently it could take more punishment than he thought it would.

Missiles filled the air as the real blonde sage ran at the machine to try and finish it off quickly. He wasn't sure how much time had been wasted but if he had to take a guess then there was probably at least a minute or two left. Reaching into his pouch he retrieved a kunai and explosive tag, the latter being wrapped around the weapon's handle swiftly. As the rocket launcher tried to swat clones away so it gained time to restock its missile silo, Naruto used a shunshin to appear behind the machine in a swirl of leaves.

'_Hot damn it worked, and in battle too! Well…the enemy was preoccupied and I had time to try it but still! Ma's gonna be so proud I used a combat shunshin!_' Coating the blade with his wind chakra, he thrust the kunai into the metallic hindquarters of the large robot. It easily pierced through the armored layer as he yelled out one of the first moves he ever learned from Kakashi…even if the attack was a load of bullshit.

"1000 years of death!" Seeing as the machine felt no pain and didn't take off into the air like a normal human, the blonde immediately crawled away as fast as he could while completely bypassing the now stunned Turk. Rude was actually in shock by what he had just witnessed, never before seeing such an...attack. The rocket launcher seemed to look down at its hindquarters and attempted to expel the nuisance only to pause as it heard Naruto utter one word that set offthe destruction of the reactor.

"**Boom.**"

Rude was blown off of his feet as an eruption overtook the extra large security bot. Bits of molten and singed shrapnel sliced through the air as more of the reactor's catwalk disintigrated and his clones were killed. Naruto used his rust red cloak as a makeshift shield, grinning wildly to himself as he felt the heavily warmed oxygen blow past him in heavy gusts. Not a second later he too was sent flying when Mako Reactor number three finally exploded in a shower of destruction and lightning.

All electronics in a three mile radius began to flicker and die as they lost their potency and energy generators. Elsewhere, more citizens lost power as Reactor number five followed the fate of its sibling and ceased to exist in a firey inferno that billowed large palls of blackened smoke into the air.

Feeling like Gamabunta had just dropped on his head, it took Naruto five minutes to stand up straight and get rid of that damn ringing in his ears. He could feel liquid dripping from his face and with one swipe of his hand, the skin came back slathered in crimson. '_Great…ugh…I think a piece of metal cut my scalp._' Gingerly touching the top of his skull caused him to yell in pain as the skin had actually been split open from the force of the impact. '_Oh yeah…I better fix that up._'

Doing his best to focus, he reached for the energy sphere in his item pouch and held it firmly in his hand. The light peeking from between his fingers intensified as an eerie green glow surrounded his burning injury, stitching itself back together with the utterance of a single word: "Cure." Kyuubi had started its work but it would have taken longer and he would have most likely passed out from blood loss. Pocketing the materia he scanned his surroundings with a silent understanding.

Apparently he was halfway between the plate and the slums, situated somewhere on the support structure and that Turkey guy was nowhere in sight. The space between Sectors 2 and 3 were riddled with monsters, and the Sector 3 slums only held a small hobo camp that hated any and all outsiders. He didn't feel like tussling with any irate homeless at the moment so it looked like he'd be heading to Sector 2. That slum was more of a refuse area for the people that lived on the plate above. Their garbage was thrown down there and dropped into incinerators and compactors, pretty much contributing to the smoggy and bleak atmosphere that the slums contained. After that it was simply smooth sailing through Sectors 1 and then 8 and he'd finally be back home.

Standing quickly, he had to grab the nearby beam as the world spun. Breathing deeply he sat back down to wait out his dizziness. "Okay…maybe not _smooth_ sailing…"

As the blonde continued to rest and recover, his mind began to wander to the others in his group of friends. Did they succeed and blow up the other reactor? Without trouble he hoped. Fuck...Tifa was probably going to tear him a new one for coming back drenched in blood. Speaking of tearing…he needed some sort of weapon or item he could use to hold his materia for him. He wasn't sure how tearing something led to materia slots but he just blamed it on the possible brain damage. Cloud had his sword, Barret had his gun, and Tifa had her gloves. Maybe he could fix up his headband or something…

Wait, what was he doing again?

Oh, right! Time to go home! As the blonde once again rose to his feet he felt the burning of the demon fox's chakra flowing through his tenketsu and literally burn away his headache and sense of vertigo. Seeing as he was now pretty much back up to normal operating levels he decided to jump over the railing and get a move on. The quicker he got there then the quicker he found out the fate of his friends.

'_You guys better be alright or i'm gonna be pissed!_'

A faint whisper shot through his mind as the ground drew closer, a sense of relief flooding his chest as the Planet made itself known and conveyed the undiluted feelings of the Lifestream. It only said a few words but those words brought a smile to Naruto's face. He was helping, just like he had promised.

"_**Thank you…**_"-

Touching down on the blackened earth, Naruto dusted off his cape and began his medium-length journey back to Sector 7.

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_A/N: Stupid school. I have four classes filled to the brim with homework and so I'm getting less and less time to work on my stories. If none are updated for awhile, it's because of that._

_I HAVE ANOTHER IDEA AND IT'S ACTUALLY NOT A CROSSOVER! It's pretty much 'What if Naruto had Shukaku and Gaara had the Kyuubi?' It would be canonical, except Shukaku attacked Konoha that day instead of Kyuubi. Gaara grows up normally with a full family while Naruto pretty much becomes what Gaara used to be before Naruto smacked some sense into him. Pairings would most likely be either NarutoxFemHaku or NarutoxTemari. I don't believe the idea has ever happened before, or I just missed it. _

_I get lots of messages stating to please not give up on a certain story or something. Did I ever say I was stopping? Nope, so don't worry about it. You're all hallucinating those things. If you're really worrying just check my page. I have it written out which stories I'm doing, what's on hold, etc._

_As for pairings, here are the top three: _

_Tifa alone 25%  
Tifa and Yuffie 23%  
Tifa and Aerith 23%_

_So it looks like Tifa is in, as I was hoping and planning for that to happening anyways. I'll keep the poll going for awhile longer to see what happens. The relationship won't mess with Cloud's sanity later on, as yes I know she is was what brought him back when he fell into the Lifestream, yadda yadda._

_On another note…bashing fics kinda make me laugh. They always seem to have the same sort of dynamics, too. But then again you can't really have a nice bashing fanfiction story. Eh._


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: No! I don't own Final Fantasy VII or Naruto! For the love of all that is holy, stop asking me!

Chapter 3:

Well that was fun. It seemed that the explosion had scattered the homeless from their perches and sent them running, meaning instead of sailing through the Sector 2 refuse area fighting the occasional monster…Naruto was forced to trudge through sporadic waves of hobos. He hated hobos. Their stench and their diseases. And one of the bastards tried to bite him! No way in hell he was contracting some otherworld virus from a guy with nasty snaggle teeth. He shivered at that thought.

So after passing through Sectors 2 and 1 and fighting battle after battle, he wondered if this could have been classified as some sort of role playing game like he once heard Udon mention. If so then would he have been gaining experience and levels after all the things he had fought? And where the hell was his haul of loot? At least the monsters occasionally gave up the odd trinket or so that he could mess around with back at his shop. And don't even get him started on how a creature without pockets was carrying around 300 gil. It would just appear on the carcass. Where did it come from?

The blonde quickly shook his head. Maybe he rattled his brain worse than he originally thought. He needed to take a nap before he started imaging a small bar that dictated when he could attack in battle.

Naruto's face was ashen due to all the smog and burning refuse, but his eyes and mouth were thankfully covered by his headband and goggles. He knew there was a reason to bring them. He all but sprinted through Sector 8, not wanting to deal with anything else until he finally got a shower and learned how the other team had fared. Naruto hoped they hadn't run into any major squabbles like he had.

…and was that rude Turkey guy still alive? Ah well, it wasn't like he would run into him again.

A happy sigh escaped Naruto's now revealed lips as the gates for Sector 7 came into view. That meant food, water, and a bed to crash into so he sleep off any lingering brain damage. Hallelujah. He received many a weird stare walking down the illuminated streets covered in blood, soot, strange smells, and damaged clothing. He was quite fine with the wide berth people were giving him…it meant no one would try and ask him questions.

The ninja's legs moved on autopilot and before he knew it he was climbing the steps of Seventh Heaven. No one appeared to be around and Marlene was asleep downstairs in the safe room so Naruto just scribbled off a quick note and dropped it on the counter before taking his leave. If only he had waited five more minutes, he would have come face to face with Barret leading a visibly distraught Tifa by her arm back into the bar. Behind them trailed the strangely silent Biggs, Wedge, and crying Jessie.

The only member missing from their little escapade was Tifa's friend, Cloud.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He may or may not have fallen asleep in the shower, but one minute Naruto was washing the funk out of his hair and then next he was sprawled out on the tiled floor with frigid water cascading over his body. That did not bode well. But hey, ironically he felt better after sleeping naked in chilly water for an unidentified amount of time. Who knew?

Now dried and dressed in a casual shirt and pants, he suffered through another spiel from Shima on once again destroying his clothes. He naturally tuned out her lecture, munching on a bag of 'Shinra Brand' chips he had picked up at the market a week ago. The salted potato wedges slightly helped the gnawing in his gut, which he was currently thankful for.

"-mean, can't ya just go one time without destroyin' yer clothes?"

"No, Ma. Clothes are just a casualty of being in a fight." he retorted quietly.

"Another reason ah don' wear 'em." The blonde rolled his eyes but a rolling pin brandished as a weapon caused the boy to grin sheepishly at the toad. "That's what I thought, givin' me sass. Now why don' ya just forgo clothin' when ya get in a fight."

The boy flushed at the thought, especially when his mind brought up the fact that no doubt Tifa and Jessie would be there in the ensuing battles against Shinra. The ponytailed brunette would no doubt love it, he already knew. But Tifa…she'd probably clock him. Repeatedly. Plus the thought of them seeing him fully nude caused the male to redden further in embarrassment, much to the unbridled amusement of Shima.

With a heavy shake of his head, Naruto leveled a mortified glare at the elderly amphibian as she continued to croak in laughter. "NO! That's just…where will I hide my weapons?" She cocked an eyebrow ridge at his blatant quip but let it go all the same. He clearly had been thinking of something else but it wasn't her place to pry.

At the moment.

"Well…yer outfit is shot ta shit. Even if the fabric wasn't covered in fluids and stink ah'd rather not smell again anytime soon, the cloth has been worn down repeatedly and ah wouldn' be able ta keep it together."

"What about my jacket?"

"That, ah can make ya a new copy just like ah made the old one. But yer jumpsuit…well, maybe it's time fer a new one anyways. Ya looked a bit silly wearin' that thing now, twenty-one years old and all."

"Thanks, Ma. Love you too." he added sarcastically.

"Brat."

"Well could you possibly make me something new then?"

The toad just grinned. "Ah suppose. But measurements'll have ta be taken before ah do anythin'." He groaned as the summon popped back to her own world after telling him to recall her in five minutes. Upon her return, Shima began jumping around in a fervor. Tape measurers seemed to be everywhere at once, and before he knew it the job was done. She gave Naruto a quick hug before once again leaving for Mt. Myouboku and leaving him to rest. Though resting would have been the greatest course of action, there was still an underlying problem. He still needed to know how his friend's fared with the destruction of their own target but it was pretty late...he supposed he'd go first thing tomorrow morning then because the others would probably be asleep. Jessie got as scary as Tsunade or Sakura if she was woken from her 'beauty sleep'. For now, he'd get some rest that didn't involve his bathroom floor.

Time passed even as Naruto drifted off, until it seemed like he had only fallen asleep moments before. While he had already healed from his wounds and trauma, it still felt great to merely lie on top of his mattress and just not do anything. A sigh. A stretching of his limbs. And then reality bore down on him and he got to his feet and began grooming himself for the day. The blonde pulled on his work uniform if only to have durable clothing ready in case AVALANCHE needed him to do something else. Sufficient satisfied, he locked the shop and took the well known path back to his favorite bar.

Normally there would be all manner of sounds emanating from the Seventh Heaven, such as shouts, laughter, or the occasional staccato of Barret's weapon arm. However as he found himself standing outside the swinging wooden doors, he came to the honest conclusion that something was wrong. There was no sound or noise. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Zero. And he was worried now. Even the white noise in the back of his mind that he associated as the voice of the Planet was uncharacteristically silent. Flicking his wrist to retrieve a kunai from inside his sleeve for more protection against the unknown, he silently slid underneath the hinges so as to not attract any attention. The metal grate they used to completely cover the entranceway was slid up completely to the ceiling and there was no sign of forced entry, so he could only imagine what was going on.

He released the breath he only just realized he was holding as his eyes took in the scene before him. Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge were scattered around the bar but they all looked quite forlorn in their expressions. Barret and Tifa were currently missing, as was Cloud. He thumbed the mechanism to retract the winch situated just underneath his armpit, allowing the wire attached to his kunai to pull itself back in place. The gentle whir of metal caused the three people to look up at the distraction and it was as though Jessie simply blurred out of existence. A weight slammed into his chest and nearly knocked him off of his feet and if by the scent of mangos and brownish hair was anything to go by, said weight was actually the female freedom fighter.

He instinctually wrapped his arms around her waist as her own pulled his neck into a death grip, her face mashed against his overalls which were on the verges of becoming damp. She was crying, and heavily at that. Naruto knew then that something had gone terribly wrong, and he felt his stomach plummet as he once again realized the group was missing three members. By now both Wedge and Biggs had moved from their spots, staying behind at either side of their female teammate to both give her room to vent as well as project a protective barrier in case she released him and lost her strength to stand. Both men gave the ninja a weary smile, projections of sadness coming from their slightly upturned lips.

"Hey. We were worried when you never checked in. We even stopped by your place yesterday but it was locked up tight and Jessie couldn't find her old spare work key." Biggs finally answered, his own voice sounding hoarse from disuse.

Naruto chuckled lightly but even to him it sounded forced. "I actually got back before you all, I think. Or after, I'm not really sure. I left a note over on the counter but I guess you never saw it. I pretty much fell asleep to recover after I got home, too, so if you were knocking then I heard nothing. " The rotund AVALANCHE member backtracked to the bar and pulled a slip of paper out from the far corner, his eyes skimming quickly over the written sketches before shaking his head and crumpling it up.

"Sorry…we sorta missed it…we've been a bit…preoccupied…"

Jessie shuddered as she inhaled sharply but her sobs were less frequent. She seemed to mumble something into his clothing and it took immense concentration just to recognize the words she was saying over and over. Her speech was heavily muffled and broken but he was still able to understand the gist of what was mentioned. "I thought that we lost you too…"

Naruto continued to rub circles into the poor girls back as she slowly recovered from her outburst, her hands still tightly clenching the straps of his outer clothing like a pair of handles. His eyes, however, had hardened significantly and it caused the two men to straighten up. Licking his lips, he leveled his voice. "Where are Tifa, Barret, Marlene, and Cloud?"

He felt as Jessie pressed her face deeper into the fabric at the mention of the blonde swordsman, and it gave him the exact answer he was looking for. Biggs moved forward and placed a hand on the woman's shoulder, if only to show what support he could.

"Barret took Marlene out for a walk…Cloud…they were attacked by a Shinra robot after meeting up with the President, who was supposedly waiting for them. It seems they knew we were going to show up and so prepared for us."

"The same thing happened at my reactor. Some guy called a Turk attacked me with a big robot and we we're both caught in the explosion. I fell about halfway down the plate before finally getting caught and stopping at the support structure and walking back through the other slums. Did any of you know how dangerous a bunch of hobos can be when they're spooked by an explosion?" His lame attempt at humor fell on deaf ears as they each looked at him in unbridled shock, even Jessie whose mouth was hanging open wide in surprise as she looked up towards his face.

"How…how are you walking around like it's no big deal?"

"Cure materia. Now continue please." he finished, omitting how much damage he had exactly taken. The two men were still in awe he was moving around like no big deal even after being fixed up and chalked it up to some crazy ninja thing, so the female proceeded with the debriefing after wiping at her eyes with the heels of her hands.

"Then…-*sniff*- the robot exploded and Cloud fell…he fell. He fell! Barret told us what happened and how Cloud told them he would see us again but I don't believe it! Tifa was the same way!" She wiped at her eyes again, hating how they kept tearing up but he never removed his arms from her. She appreciated the comfort Naruto was exuding.

He gave her a small grin. "When _you_ fall for someone, you fall hard, don't you?" She smacked his arm but returned the smile all the same, even with his poor choice of wording. Yes, even if it was only for a few days Cloud had somehow wormed his way into Jessie's heart. She had been like this ever since he first met her. It almost reminded the blonde of Sasuke and his old fangirls except for the giant fact that Jessie wasn't like that. Good thing, too.

"I should know after meeting you for the first time." she spoke lowly, quietly enough that even she wasn't sure if she had only thought the sentence. There were still feelings in her chest that resurfaced every time he was nearby, but seeing the everyday interactions between Naruto and Tifa showed the brunette there was probably no chance for her and the blonde blacksmith. It hurt, yes, as this sort of situation had happened to her before and still stung freshly every time. But she would at least be content knowing that she'd still be a part of his life.

"So Cloud fell off the plate and you were all forced to come back here after escaping the reactor. I see…but I don't think Cloud would die that easy. He's a SOLDIER, or was one, and those guys are supposed to be super tough. But uh…you mentioned everyone except Tifa-chan. Where's she?" Jessie pulled back from his embrace and moved towards her friends, the three of them sharing a knowing look that Naruto could not decipher. A moment of silence passed before Biggs and Jessie grabbed Wedge by his arms and thrust him forward. The man trembled lightly before grabbing a nearby metal tray and holding it in front of him like a shield.

"Tifa is at Don Corneo's!" he shrieked, praying to the Lifestream that today was not his day to die. Eerie silence fell across the room and Wedge could only imagine the look on Naruto's face hidden behind his makeshift barrier.

"…WHAT!"

Outside the bar, Barret rolled his eyes as he helped his daughter up the steps but couldn't help but give a small sigh of relief. Looking down at the bright eyes of Marlene, he shook his head and jammed a thumb towards the door. "Sounds like Blondie finally decided ta get his ass back here and learned all that happened. C'mon, Marlene. Papa's gotta run damage control." The little girl nodded and followed after her father, happy herself that her yellow-headed friend was back home.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Miles above the slums in a room constructed entirely of metal, one man paced back and forth in front of a single large monitor. His forest green business suit was crisp and clean, though straining at the seams due to his portly stomach and larger body mass. Across the left breast of his suit were a few medals, gleaming brightly in the fluorescent lighting that pervaded the area. He finally stopped his pacing and raised a hand that continued to stroke down the length of his long grey beard. His eyes followed the looping video that was playing over and over on the screen, his free hand scratching the sudden itchy and scarred skin that traveled through his right eye socket. This man was the Shinra Company executive known to all as Heidegger, a powerful man under President Shinra who worked as the head of the Public Safety division.

His eyes stayed focused even as the camera feed once again restarted its endless cycle of the destruction of Midgar Mako Reactor #3, caught by the building's security cameras. He watched as the strange blonde appeared and set up a charge, followed by his employee that went by the name Rude. Whether it was his actual name or just a nickname he went by, Heidegger barely cared. As long as he got the job done like the rest of his Turks then he could care less what the hell they called themselves.

Ah…there it was again. The intruder split himself, yes _split his very being_, into multiple copies which proceeded to attack Rude and the Rocket Launcher he had waiting in the wings. The man almost laughed when the blonde stabbed a freaking knife into the 'anus' of the walking tank and caused it to detonate. But his humor slipped away like an unplugged drain when reality hit him once again the next countless time.

They had lost two reactors that day.

Two. One would have been another inconvenience due to them having six remaining. But the whole of Midgar was down to five working Mako producers and energy demands were nowhere near the surplus. With production down to nearly half, the remaining reactors were working to pick up the slack and were just barely scraping by. That made the president unhappy. And with him unhappy, that meant his employees were unhappy. And the executives were the ones forced to endure the brunt of his wrath.

Things had gone better at Reactor #5, however. Accordingly, one of the AVALANCHE bastards was reported to have fallen to his death though the remaining gnats of his team had escaped. Whether or not this blonde fool had died was still unknown. He had also ordered the remaining Turks to search the wreckage of Reactor #3 for any signs and all they had come up with was a badly damaged Rude. While his life was in no apparent danger anymore and he would survive, the damage to his throat had been rather severe. A piece of metal had grazed his neck and cut through part of his esophagus, damaging the tissue within and disrupting the muscles used to speak. Whether or not he would be able to talk at all in the future was still up to chance.

A new presence appeared at the edge of his awareness and nearly caused him to jump in sudden fright, but years of having his Turks appear swiftly and at a moment's notice helped quell the urge. Instead, he settled for grunting and turning to meet his guest with an unabashed scowl. "To what do I owe this pleasure…Hojo?"

A low-pitched giggled erupted from the newcomer, full of glee and a hint of insanity. Professor Hojo was a man of science who had sunk much of his life into the processes of inventing and research, spending many a year locked within his office here at the Shinra Company. Heidegger had worked alongside the man many times due to their company branches intertwining. Military and science worked hand in hand, but so did weapons development. That sadly meant Heidegger was forced to interact with that bitch Scarlet but the heavyset man was glad to see she wasn't there. Hojo finally let off with his laughter and moved to Heidegger's side, his whole attention absorbing the scene with hungry eyes.

Hojo was a middle-aged man with long black hair streaked with spots of grey, pulled back sharply into a low ponytail. The Safety Division leader had not once seen the scientist without his signature uniform; round wire glasses and a crisp white lab coat, white dress shirt, blue tie, grey trousers with a brown belt, and grey shoes. It was like the man literally bought the same version of his clothing for each day of the week.

"Fascinating…simply fascinating. Replication of his whole being, short range teleportation…and you say there was no materia used to initiate these feats?" he asked quickly, his high pitched yet nasally voice cutting at Heidegger's ears. He shook his head negatively at the question.

"No. The reports state that he used his hands to create weird signs, as though the boy was trying to make shadow puppets in the middle of the battle! Gya haa haa haa!" He threw his head back and laughed, finding the notion extremely absurd and in turn hilarious. Hojo readjusted his glasses and pulled out a small datapad that he hooked up to the screen and quickly downloaded the entire feed. As the 'general' finished his laughter, Hojo slid the pad into his jacket without a sound, his shoulders shuddering with silent laughter.

"Truly amazing…I ask that you have your employees sweep the wreckage one more time to see if this fascinating subject survived or perished. Either way, I want him. A human with abilities that far exceeds that of normal humans…" Shoulders twitched again as Heidegger remained silent. "This test subject will be as important to study as the last remaining Cetra. Speaking of which, has any progress been made with her yet? I grow weary of waiting. However shall we learn more about this nearly extinct race if your fools cannot even kidnap a mere girl?"

Heidegger growled before he could contain himself but Hojo let it pass without attention. There was nothing he could say to the man that would ever get him to not belittle everyone he came in contact with. If you were not as intellectual as Hojo, then you were therefore inferior. Being as he was the brightest person in the whole expansive building, that just made everybody insignificant unless you were one of his experiments.

"I've sent one of my Turks and a few soldiers as backup. They should have taken her by force by now and soon enough you'll have your _Ancient_ to work over."

"Good, good…make sure my test subject is returned unharmed. I cannot have any accurate data if the subject is defective in any way."

Heidegger nodded and made a shooing motion, wanting the man to leave already and give him peace. There was no reason to stay in his presence any longer than necessary. Hojo acquiesced and left the room, as Heidegger felt the cell phone in his pocket begin vibrating. The man pulled it out and flipped the device open before placing it at his ear and thumbing the call button. "Yes? Ah, Reno…yes? How goes the mission?...again? You're really trying my patience on this, boy…very well. Call it off for now and return to the Sector 3 rubble. Correct. The _esteemed_ professor has asked us to check the area one last time for the blonde AVALANCHE member that injured Rude. Report your findings in an hour."

He slammed the upper half down with more force than necessary, slapping the nearby stack of papers from their perch on the computer desk and sending them fluttering everywhere. Once again that damn girl somehow slipped through their clutches! And this time he was aided by a blonde man with a sword as tall as he was, the same man who had supposedly died at Rector #5…it was infuriating to know a simple untrained..._flower girl_ was evading the best men in his military, besides the SOLDIER unit. But even they were losing the pull their name once commanded.

Inhaling deeply and releasing a ragged breath, Heidegger sat down and once again pulled his phone from his pocket. Hitting the speed dial, the dial tone rang three times before the person at the other end answered. "Hello, Tseng. It appears Reno failed yet again with acquiring the Ancient. Professor Hojo is becoming impatient and we need to do something to make sure he remains on our side. Yes, I give you free reign to capture her as you see fit as long as she remains safe and unharmed. Your secondary objective is to capture the terrorist from Reactor #3 if you find him anywhere, dead or alive. Preferably alive. Reno and his men are checking the reactor's remains one final time but if he is still not found then the possibility of him surviving is likely. Yes, that could work but I suggest waiting a day. There's a board meeting tomorrow and we need to see exactly how to proceed with our plan. Gya haa haa haa! Exactly! That's why you're my second in command! Gyaaa haaa haaa! Stand by for further orders then! Goodbye!"

Outside the room, Hojo smirked before shuffling away with his arms resting behind his hunched back. From the sounds of it, the Turks were done playing nicely with the girl. He laughed to himself as he moved down the halls to return to his laboratory. Soon, he would finally have his favored test subject. Soon, he would finally have the last of the Cetra within his grasp.

But for now there were other experiments to craft. Chemical cocktails to inject. Data to record. And it just so happened he had just come into contact with a red-furred, four-legged beast from the Cosmo Canyon area. He nearly sighed in delight as his mind drifted off towards what he could learn.

Good times were ahead.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Reno sighed as he closed his phone, placing it within the inside pocket of his suit coat. A hand rose slowly and rubbed at the skin between his eyes in annoyance. It wasn't like he was trying to _not_ bring the girl in. It was just she knew the slums better than he did, always scurrying away through some hidey hole or hidden path. But this time the target had backup, a bodyguard if you will. Some spiky-haired blonde with a big ass sword that he swore seemed familiar but for the life of him couldn't remember why he knew it. And those eyes…they glowed from an infusion of Mako energy. Either an ex-SOLDIER or a deserter. Probably the former, as any runaways were dealt with swiftly.

Reno was a thin yet athletic looking man, dressed similarly to his work partner Rude. Instead of the full suit combo, he usually forwent the tie and left the jacket hanging open loosely. The top few buttons of his dress shirt he kept opened as well, hating the constricting feel they purveyed. His hair was short and spiky, flaming crimson in color and yet a thin ponytail hung at the base of his neck. A pair of round goggles helped keep his bangs from drooping into his eyes. His mouth constantly worked itself into a smarmy grin, along with red markings below his eyes that somehow kept from changing shape along with the skin. A vast difference to Rude, who even Reno would tease by calling him plain yet professional looking.

For the current situation, it didn't help that the soldiers sent to work with him had been killed. All three had been pulled into 'kill zones' in the back area of the church he was currently standing in. They tried to rush after the duo but wound up trapped on the thin stairways or even knocked over by barrels. Freaking barrels! Why were these things situated up in the rafters? That damn bodyguard pushed em down and into the soldiers and knocked them for a loop, allowing them to be picked off easily.

Even the female fought back, using a metal staff with surprising skill. Probably picked up as a defense from Shinra constantly badgering her over the years. Well, whatever. He had a new mission to work on and-

Shit.

His team was dead. While it didn't affect him personally at the loss of life, it meant he was now alone on the job. And that meant…he had to sift through all that rubble by himself. Oh hell no! "Screw that!" he yelled to no one in particular before fishing his cell out of his pocket and dialing a well memorized number. It rang once before going immediately to voice mail. "Son of a bitch, Tseng! I need more muscle! Who the hell are you talking to right now when **I** need to talk to you?" He tilted his head back and groaned loudly, walking down the aisle between the pews weakened from years of disuse. It seemed he would be alone until his boss finally ended his own phone conversation and he could patch through.

Whoopie.

He was a Turk, dammit! Menial labor was not his forte.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Was there some sort of fluctuating luck curse presiding over him? As a man who was once in SOLDIER, you'd think by now Cloud was able to handle situations changing on the fly. First, he 'fell to his death' after the destruction of the Mako reactor only to wake up inside a rundown church in the Sector 5 Slums. He had landed on top of a large bed of healthy flowers growing right in the middle of the dilapidated building, which was a miracle unto itself considering how polluted the soil was.

From there he met, or should he say _once again met_, a pretty young woman he had first bumped into after the destruction of Mako Reactor #1. Aerith Gainsborough was her name, and she tended the small garden and sold the plants for pocket change. She did it to try and help brighten up the drab lives of the Midgar slums and the two made small talk as he recovered from the fall and she worked to restore the plants he had accidentally crushed.

He also used that time to take a closer look at the petite 22 year old female. She had an earthy beauty about her, with soft features and emerald green eyes. Whereas Tifa used a small amount of makeup to accent her features, Aerith kept it all natural. Her long, light-brown hair pulled into a long ponytail plait tied up with a large pink ribbon, and two large bangs that framed her face. Her outfit was rather simple, clad in a pink button-up dress that reached down shins and revealed a small amount of cleavage for her high-end B-cup chest. She ended the whole outfit with a small red jacket, leather bracelets that hung snuggly on her wrists, and a pair of brown leather boots. Resting on top of one of the pews was a thin metal staff as tall as she was, used in case she ever came under attack.

She had asked if he had ever worked as a bodyguard and when he replied yes, she had immediately recruited him with the promise of a date as payment. He still couldn't tell if she was joking or not but he nodded silently anyways. It wasn't a moment too late, as a Turk had appeared inside the sanctuary and it was in that moment Aerith told him they needed to book it and for him to take her home. They escaped through the back with the Shinra soldiers in hot pursuit but it was no sweat defeating them. The duo moved higher and higher until both had fled through a hole in the roof. In fact, it was the very same opening that Cloud had created with his unwanted entry.

Cloud released a minute sigh as he placed his blade upon its necessary spot on his back, wiping away a small drop of sweat that had accumulated on his brow. He hated how little energy he had currently but with the circumstances, it was a miracle he had fended off both the soldiers and the random monsters that took refuge inside the church. Strangely enough, the creatures stayed away from the fore room where the flowers were situated.

He heard a grunt as Aerith stopped at his side on the slanted roof, panting at having to cover so many ladders and stairways in an adrenaline-fueled rush. She finished with one deep breath and activated the cure materia positioned in her rod, healing the two of them of any latent injuries they may have sustained. "There. That should do it." she chirped happily, as though running away from Shinra employees was an everyday thing.

"Yeah, thanks."

She beamed at the praise, giggling as she rotated her shoulders to release some tension. "Oh dear…they're after me again it seems."

"You mean this isn't the first time they've chased you?" he asked incredulously. Her smile dropped as did her head, the healer's gaze finding the roof tiles very interesting at the moment.

"…no."

"That was the Turks. Well…_a_ Turk." Aerith hummed to herself as Cloud continued on. "They're an organization in Shinra that scouts for possible SOLDIER candidates."

"Wait, that's what they were doing? It was so violent though…it was like they were doing a kidnapping."

"Yeah well, they're involved in a lot of dirty stuff on the side. Spying, murder…a real black ops group when the need comes."

She nodded, looking off into the distance as she absorbed his words. "Yes, they look like it."

"What I don't understand is why they were after you. There must be some reason, right?"

"No, not really. Perhaps they think I have what it takes to be a big, bad SOLDIER!" Instead of Cloud laughing and denying such a feat, he surprised her instead by giving a shrug and giving her an appraising look.

"Maybe you do. Would you want to join?"

She shook her head but tapped a finger to her lips thoughtfully. "I don't know…but what I do know is that I don't wish to be caught by **those** people!" Cloud could only roll his eyes at her declaration but gave a small grin anyways. Her motioned for her to follow him and before long the two were hopping among the refuse as a shortcut, though the blonde had to stop a few times just to let the brunette beauty catch up.

He nearly laughed as she puffed and wheezed, glaring at him for not waiting for her. The man even teased her about being cut out for SOLDIER and her mock-horrified retort actually set him over the edge as the two began chuckling. As their happy laughter slowly died off, the girl seemed immediately sober up as her eyes trailed once again towards her feet.

"Hey…Cloud?" she asked almost solemnly. "Were you…ever in SOLDIER?"

He stayed silent, wondering why she was asking such a thing. Was she worried he would turn her in? "I used to be. Why do you ask?"

"Your eyes…they glow."

"Oh. Yeah. That's the sign of someone who has been infused with Mako. It's the telling mark of SOLDIER. But how'd you know?"

It was like another personality switch was flipped as she perked back up, smiling at him as she placed her hands behind her back and rocked on her feet. "…oh, nothing! Don't worry about it. So come on, Mr. Bodyguard!" He just shook his head but turned around and continued on his path with Aerith behind. She was hiding something but it wasn't his place to pry. For now, he would just get her home like he had promised.

They passed through the small community of Sector 5 where the duo found a strange man stuffed in a large drain pipe suffering from an unknown sickness. A large black tattoo was engraved onto his bicep, but sadly neither of them knew how to heal him. With nothing else to really see, they two continued moving through until they came upon a new yet beautiful place.

It was a large, open-spaced area with actual natural light filtering down from the plate above, just like with at church. Rows and rows of flowers dotted the landscape, bringing out a beauty to the quaint two-story home nestled within it. The brunette ran up to her doorway and tapped out a random rhythm on the wooden door, knocking as loud as she could. Cloud walked up to her side and waited, raising an eyebrow at the large smile plastered on her face as she continued to raise a ruckus.

From inside he heard a small clattering barely audible over the noise, followed by a few heavy steps. The door was pulled inwards rather quickly to reveal a woman in a sleeveless green dress and pale yellow apron. Her brownish hair was pulled up into a tight bun as her dark brown eyes gazed at Aerith in annoyance. The girl giggled at the look and returned it with a small wave. "Hi mom, I'm back."

The woman smiled and sighed, shaking her head and moving out of the way to let the two in. "Welcome back, Ms. Noisy. And…who is this?" she asked, her eyes flickering over to the stoic Cloud. Aerith placed her weapon against the wall near the door and gestured towards her new friend.

"Oh! This is Cloud, my bodyguard. He protected me from more Shinra goons."

"You were followed again? You're not hurt, are you?" the woman asked. She moved to her daughter's side and began fussing over the smudges and marks marring her clothes and skin.

"Of course not. I had Cloud with me. Cloud, this is my mother Elmyra."

"Nice to meet you, ma'am." Elmyra nodded with a small smile and moved towards the kitchen area to finish up the dishes she had been working on. Aerith spun on her heel and leaned towards the blonde with a questioning look, causing him to cock his head and cross his arms. "Yes?"

"So what are you going to do now?"

"How far is Sector 7? I need to make my way back to Tifa's bar."

"…is Tifa…a girl?"

He nodded slightly. "Yeah."

"Girl…friend?"

This time he shook his head no. They'd have to become closer like when they were children before anything like that happened. Being away for years tended to cause people to drift apart, and while they were still amicable towards each other, it wasn't like how it was back in Nibelheim. "Childhood friend." he simply answered.

Aerith giggled softly, her face shining with amusement. "Well that's…nice. So Sector 7, right? I'll show you the way!" she stated proudly, thumbing her chest as her other hand rested on her hip. Cloud raised his hands and formed a 'T', shaking his head vigorously and causing the girl to pout. Why didn't he want her going with him?

"You seriously want to put yourself in danger again?"

"I'm used to it." She snorted when Cloud staggered, and leveled a powerful glare into his glowing blue eyes unflinchingly. The warrior didn't like how she said that so casually. Yeah she was cute but that really wasn't a reason for the Turks to hunt her _for years_. It would be better for her to stay here in the safety of her own home. But, being a male and therefore known to speak without thinking, the man opened his mouth and made the worst possible mistake he could in that moment.

"…well, y'know…getting help from a girl and all…" He heard the loud clink of plates scraping together and what sounded like a groan come from Elmyra, but it was so quick he might have imagined it. Aerith's glare turned downright icy at the crack at her gender, making her inhale deeply as her cheeks puffed out in anger.

"A girl! What do you mean by that! You expect me just to stay here and sit around after hearing something like that? Now way, mister! MOM! I'm taking Cloud to Sector 7! I'll be back in awhile!"

Elmyra returned from the kitchen with a look of defeat before shrugging her shoulders and wiping her hands on her apron. "But…no, I give up. Once you make up your mind I could never dissuade you. But couldn't you at least rest here for a bit? It doesn't help to wear yourself ragged all the time."

"Alright…I'm going up to my room for a bit then. Why don't you two get to know each other?" Before either could answer, she grabbed her metal staff and skipped upstairs. Cloud could only scratch at his head and take a seat at the dining table in the middle of the room. Aerith's mother sent him an apologetic look as she took the seat across from him, smoothing out the end of her dress.

"You're from SOLDIER, aren't you? Your eyes have that glow."

"Yes. Well, I used to be."

Elmyra's lips pursed as she continued to stare at the man before sighing softly and placing her hands together on the table top. "...I really don't know how to say this, but…could you please leave soon? Without telling Aerith…you see, I'd rather she stay home since the two of you were accosted by Shinra on the way here."

Cloud held up a hand to stop her, his other resting on the handle of his Buster Sword as he nodded his head towards the mother. "I understand. You're worried about her as any parent would be. If you want, I'll just leave right now. At least tell her I said goodbye, won't you?"

"Yes, I will. Thank you for understanding." she said, relieved. The two stood before pushing in their chairs, Elmyra motioning him towards the door and seeing him out. With a final goodbye Cloud turned down the path and began his trek back towards Sector 7, and maybe find something to eat. He never did see the pair of bright green eyes watching him from the second story, a frown etched onto the connecting face.

As Cloud finally made it to the path between Sector 5 and Sector 6, the sun had begun to set above the plates which caused the already darkened area to appear even darker. With every step he took, the heavy pressure of dismay and disappointment descended upon his lone figure and nearly even caused the battle-hardened veteran to shiver. As the blonde finally turned the corner and went to pass through the connecting tunnel he twitched and froze in his steps. There stood Aerith blocking the doorway, hands on her hips, foot tapping out a fast beat in annoyance, a glare in her eyes, and a look of silent anger on her features. Cloud whipped around and looked back towards Sector 5 in confusion before looking back towards the stewing brunette. How did she catch up so fast? It wasn't like the meal he bought took _that_ long to eat.

"Thanks for waiting for me." she said rather testily. Cloud was able to keep his composure under the stare down, returning the glare with an impassive look of his own.

"How could I ask you to come with me when I knew it would be dangerous? I wouldn't be there on your return journey."

"Are you done?" she asked, her voice losing its annoyance and returning to a more cheerful tone. It seemed she was just going to ignore the warnings and follow him anyways. "We have a few more slums to move through before we get to Tifa's bar. I'll take you there so come on!" She ran up and began pushing him from behind, shooting down any protest he could come up with. The two passed though an old abandoned construction site, killing any monsters that accosted them before they finally came upon the large metal gate outside of Sector 6 that continued along towards Sector 7.

Aerith moved forward into an old playground on the outskirts of Wall Street as it grew later in the evening, running a dainty hand along the weathered 'tongue' of the large cat-shaped slide. With an inaudible sigh she turned and pointed here finger towards the gate. "There it is."

"Thanks. Are you sure you'll be alright heading home by yourself?"

Aerith grinned and placed her hands against her cheeks in mock terror, nearly swooning in her spot as she looked at the swordsman. "Oh no! Whatever will I do?...that's what you're wanting me to say, right?" Her arms dropped down to her sides as Cloud crossed his own limbs over his chest. He guessed it wouldn't hurt for her to continue on with him, maybe meet the others. Who knows what would happen when she and Barret met? Maybe she'd get him to calm down with her charm before his blood pressure exploded.

"Why don't you just come with me then?"

"Hmmmm, I could. But could we take a break for a bit? That last fight tuckered me out." He nodded as she strode forward and grabbed his wrist, gently pulling him along until the two were sitting on top of the slide. While it wasn't that high up, the elevation still gave a panoramic view of the entire area. Cloud and Aerith sat in silent for a moment before the girl cleared her throat and threw him a sidelong glance. "So what rank were you?"

"First class." he replied in an instant, though it felt odd when saying those words. The healer released a small noise as her knees rose up and her arms pulled them close to her chest. That was followed by her saying something about him being the same rank as another person. When the man asked who, she replied it was her first boyfriend. When he asked if they were serious, she shook her head sadly and replied no. She wouldn't admit what his name was, either, prompting Cloud to wonder if he had known him at all back when he was still an employee of Shinra.

Gears ground and dust was disrupted from its resting place as the overbearing gates to Sector 7 slowly pulled apart to reveal a cart drawn by a large yellow bird known as a Chocobo. The duo watched in silence as the wagon drove past but Cloud gaped in shock when he saw who was standing on the small balcony attached to the end of the vehicle. It was Tifa, and she was trussed up in a sexy purple dress that easily revealed her figure and more makeup than he had ever saw her wear before. "Tifa?" he yelled out after her but by then the wagon had already pulled away.

Aerith jumped at his side, almost in as much shock as her new friend but for a completely different reason. That was Tifa? She was fucking beautiful! And he only saw her as a childhood friend? She did look sort of slutty…well, whatever. She wasn't one to judge. "So that girl in the cart was Tifa? Where was she going? I mean, she looked sorta…provocative…" She tapped her chin twice before slipping back down to the ground and ran off after her.

Cloud groaned and shouted after the brunette but she continued the chase, forcing the man to now chase after her as well. He only hoped there was a simple solution to what was going on. Especially after what he had gone through recently. And, hey!

He still had to collect his pay from Barret. He better be receiving a bonus for the physical trauma. That was for damn sure.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It took plenty of bribes, threats, and promises but everyone at the Seventh Heaven was finally able to calm Naruto enough so he wouldn't blindly rush off to Sector 6's Wall Street and rip apart the Corneo Mansion. It seemed while he was asleep, Biggs and Barret had found a strange man slinking around outside the bar so the two men captured him and 'nicely' asked for some information. He cracked easily and Corneo's name came up alongside Shinra's.

Barret had tried to get her to stay put but Tifa kept saying something was bothering her. Plus a mission would help keep her mind off her friend's supposed death, so she figured infiltrating the perverted man's mansion would help her get the full story straight from the Don's mouth as to what he was up to. From there it was her dressing up and going undercover in the Honey Bee Inn (Jessie had hissed angrily at that point) because all new girls were interviewed by Corneo. It had brought up more bad memories for the ponytailed brunette so Naruto kept one arm wrapped around her to give her some form of support, even as he thought up more and more ways to get her out of there.

"I could infiltrate the mansion too, you know. Or did you already forget that I'm a N-I-N-J-A?"

"Nah, you could fuck up Tifa's cover. Besides, you ain't a girl, foo'."

"Then I use my henge to transform into one!" He quickly brought his hands together, forming three quick handsigns before disappearing in a thick plume of smoke. Jessie fanned away the obscurant only to feel her mouth drop open when her hand came in contact with something soft, large and rather firm. A rather feminine squeak issued forth as her hands gave a squeeze, causing the woman to pull her hand back like it was on fire.

There standing in Naruto's clothes stood a rather busty blonde with her long hair pulled back into twin pigtails. Jessie immediately looked down to her own covered chest and frowned at what she saw. '_She's even bustier than me, just like Tifa…but wait, isn't that Naruto?_'

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS? WHEN YOU SHOWED US LAST TIME YOU NEVER SAID YOU'D ACTUALLY TURN INTO WHATEVER YOU WERE IMPERSONATING!" Biggs yelled out, pointing a shaky finger at the new female as Wedge just stared with a massive blush blossoming across his face. Naruko giggled demurely before giving a wide grin and knocking some imaginary dirt off of her shoulder.

"Well you see, the henge is normally an illusionary technique that only changes a person's outer appearance. But whenever I use it I always channel too much chakra and I literally turn into whatever I'm transforming into. So if I transform into a bird or sword, I will actually be a bird or sword. Or in this case, it's a female. Before, I just changed into copies of you guys but you never actually touched me then, did you?" She stiffened as Jessie's hands once again groped her chest, causing the shinobi to whimper at the touch and cause Barret and Biggs to look away lest they faint from a sensory overload. Wedge was already out like a light, splayed across one of the tables with a dopey smile and blood leaking freely from his nostrils.

"Oooo…stop…oh, please…"

"This is total bullshit! You're not even a real woman and yet you're still naturally bigger than me!"

"Goddammit you bastard, change back already before lil' Marlene gets back from the bathroom an' sees this shit!" Naruko vanished in a puff of smoke and this time it was Naruto that strolled out from the plume, causing all present to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Y'know I originally made the Oiroke no jutsu to get rid of perverts…I could probably knock out half of the bastards in one go."

"YOU'RE NOT GOING!" came three unison shouts, causing him to pout.

"What if I turn into something small, sneak in, and then turn into one of the dumb muscle? I'll have free reign to move around then."

"NO!" Jessie grabbed him sharply by the ear, twisting the cartilage and causing him to cry out in pain. "You are not leaving us, mister. And that. Is. Final."

"What if…"

"No!"

"Clones?"

"Nope!"

He pulled away and rubbed at the stinging area, sighing as he was totally running out of ideas. He heard the Lifestream burbling at the back of his mind and it gave him one final idea. "Okay…how about this?" He brought his hands up into the ram sign and focused, using the chakra focusing sign as a way to embrace the voices as his own consciousness melded together with the energy of the planet. He searched and searched through the near limitless sea of greenish-blue until the voices gave him the answer he was looking for.

"_**He has not yet returned to us…**__" _

'_Bingo!_'

Biggs readjusted the red headband tied around his forehead, leaning back on Wedges tabletop. "What's he doing now?"

"No fuckin' idea."

Naruto's eyes suddenly shot wide open as he pumped a fist in victory, giving a whoop of joy. He quickly explained that Cloud was still alive and clarified that one of his clones had seen him out there and dispelled to tell him the information while omitting the actual reason. The others felt like a weight had lifted from their shoulders, none more so than Jessie at the revelation that the other blonde was indeed still alive. Sadly, it did little to persuade them to let him leave so the sage finally relented and let them have their way. If Tifa was to find out he was stepping in on her mission, she'd more than likely take offense while thinking that Naruto believed she couldn't handle it herself. And that would then involve getting a silent treatment, and one from Tifa was always the worst.

So after giving them his word that he would stay put and for one of them to alert him when something new came up, he bid them all goodbye and headed back home as it was starting to get late. How time flies when you're thinking up excuses to go save your friend, eh?

And so here he was. It was late. He was lying in bed on top of his mattress. The lights were off. And yet he couldn't seem to fall asleep. Probably from him falling into a hectic sleep schedule over the last day. He didn't feel like going out and training, or firing up the kiln and working on one of his jobs. It was sort of peaceful just lying there, even if sleep wouldn't come.

**TAP TAP**

"Naruto?" He was instantly on alert with a kunai in each hand, one poised to throw and the other in a backhanded grip for easy stabbing. The intruder shouted out and it made him realize the intruder was in fact Jessie, who somehow had gotten into his shop and then knocked on his bedroom door. His lungs worked quickly as he willed the adrenaline rush to leave his system, dropping back against his bed as he lazily placed the knives back on his dresser.

"Geez Jessie, I wasn't expecting you. I thought you lost your old key?"

"Found it tucked away in my bandanna." She laughed nervously, raising the small object in between her fingers. It was then he noticed she was dressed in only a jacket, boots, and a pair of loose pants and a t-shirt. In her other hand was a small backpack filled with her normal attire. Her hair was even down, letting it fall loosely over her shoulders.

"So…now that I nearly killed you for thinking you were someone breaking in, why _are_ you here? Not that I mind, but it's a totally unexpected visit." The woman fidgeted a bit in her spot before she moved deeper inside the room and stood next to the bed. He patted the spot next to him and she gave him a small smile, removing her jacket and shoes before taking the offered place.

"I was…hoping I could spend the night here with you. The whole day's been a roller coaster of emotion and I just…just don't want to be alone tonight." Her hands were wringing together and Naruto had to place a hand over hers just to get her to stop.

"I understand. Heh…it'll be just like when we first met, remember? After you started working here and then you had those nightmares."

"That's sorta the reason…I always have the minor night terrors but I could always manage, but thinking about Tifa going there has made it worse and now I keep thinking about it and then I remember when Corneo brought me to his place and, and-" she stopped when he pulled her into his chest, encircling his arms around her which she readily returned.

"I know. I know you didn't have a choice back then. The Inn was just a job that you sorely needed, but you had no idea what it involved." She nodded into his chest, her mind doing its best to forget the squat little man. The way he threw her on the bed and tore at her clothes. The way that he seemed to find pleasure as she cried out. The way-

"Quit that. No remembering." he scolded lightly, poking her in the forehead. She blinked away the tears that accumulated in her eyes and nodded again, stronger this time. "Good. Now come on, let's go to bed." He pulled her gently under the covers and laid beside her, feeling her warmth as she stayed as close as she could without smothering him. That first night came back to Naruto, of when Jessie was so emotionally fragile, and how he and the others did their best to bring her back up to the woman she was today. But their time together had also ended in something completely unexpected.

The brunette seemed to be wading through her own memories as well, her finger slowly tracing itself along his chest as she stayed deep in thought. A minute or so passed before she woke from her reverie with a small jolt. "Hey, Naruto…do you remember that one night?"

"How could I ever forget?" She smiled at that, happy that he hadn't forgotten their time together.

"I never really thanked you, did I? For everything you did."

"Of course you did. Maybe not with actual words…but I still knew. You cheered up and joined AVALANCHE and I knew you were thankful through your actions. Besides, you pretty much thanked me enough when I gave you a job."

"I still can't believe all the time I spent here and never once thought of you as anything more than a regular blacksmith."

"I'm just that good." he joked, causing them both to chuckle. Jessie hummed to herself a bit before tapping him on the shoulder softly.

"Hey, I have to ask and figure this is as good a time as any…how come we never got together back then?"

"Our jobs…I suppose. After that night, you became engrossed in AVALANCHE and I was stuck here at the shop. We would have barely had any time together to do coupley things like dates. Plus…once we saved the Planet and stopped Shinra, I'd more than likely have returned home."

"Just like that, huh? No goodbyes or anything?"

Naruto gave her a squeeze, to at least show he didn't like the idea either. "I'd hope the Planet would at least give me that. I'd throw a damn fit if I was sent away without seeing you all one last time. Oh man, I'd be pissed if I just poofed away when the job was done."

"Just like one of your clones, eh?"

"Yeah…"

"Well I don't want you to leave." she huffed, getting him to laugh again. "Who will I see when I'm feeling down? Or need my armor fixed after one of my experiments backfires? The thought of you going away brings up my old insecurities but you're the only one who's able to banish them." She grew quieter after her little outburst, rolling onto her back as she looked towards the ceiling. "…you know how I feel about you."

"…I know. And I care for you too, but-"

"But it's not the same as how I feel. I know, I know…I'm just happy though that there's at least a space for me in your heart."

They both sighed at the same time. "I still say you fall in love too easy."

"And you're too hard-headed to even trip." she countered.

"There are many types of love out there, Jessie-chan. I do love you. " She nodded against his pillow, feeling her hand entwine with his as the two lay in silence.

"…could you at least show me? One more time? Just for tonight…" She noticed the hand holding her own tightened its grip somewhat as Naruto sat up, causing Jessie to follow suit. Was he mad that she brought it up yet again? It wasn't like she was really begging…yes, it only happened once before, but it was the best time of her life and helped to make her forget all about that sick bastard Corneo. Helped heal the scars that were left behind in his wake. Even if he didn't love her the same way, she didn't regret that night in the least. He showed her what it was like to _make love_ to someone instead of the depraved acts she was forced to endure before, even though it was his first time and her _willing_ first.

After what seemed like an eternity, the blonde turned slowly and raised their conjoined hands. With a weak tug he pulled her into himself and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Alright. Tonight…I'll be yours again." She released a pleased sigh as her legs slithered over his own and her pelvis straddled his waist, a hand ghosting over the skin of his cheek as she looked deeply into his eyes. She knew he would help chase away the terrors plaguing her that night.

"Thank you, Naruto."

And he did.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They awoke early, cleaning themselves from last night's encounter and eating a quick meal. Jessie was once again dressed in her uniform, sitting on the edge of Naruto's bed and watching him as he looked through his closet for a new shirt to wear. Personally she enjoyed the shirtless view but there was no protection there, so sadly it was out of the question.

"So are you feeling better?" he finally asked, tugging out a long-sleeved black shirt from the back of the wardrobe. She nodded and crossed her legs, a small yet satisfied smile gracing her features. She heard him agree but it didn't rid her of the lone question she felt she just had to ask.

"You don't regret it, do you? I mean, I did sort of badger you last night…but I couldn't think of any other way to...y'know…"

"Never. And don't ever think that." He moved over to her just as he finished pulling an arm through his sleeve and gave her a kiss. She melted into it as their lips touched but a whine escaped her as Naruto pulled away. She didn't even get to deepen it or anything! "While enjoyable, we probably shouldn't anymore. I'm not saying this to be mean, but what would Cloud think if he knew we were having sex and you were wanting to date him? Yes, it was only twice now but you still don't know what his feelings are towards you, or if he even has any yet. Your focus should be on him now. But know that I'll be here for you if you ever need my help."

"True…I suppose if I can't have one blonde, blue-eyed hottie then I'll go for the gruffer, cooler version instead!" She giggled loudly at the look he sent her way before he shook his head and sighed.

"I'm cool, dammit…but hey, at least you're perky again."

"Yes." The two just looked at each other happily, one glad to help his friend and the other glad to have such a caring person in her life, one who would go as far as he did just to soothe old emotional wounds. But before either of them could speak again a loud banging pounded against his front door, followed by someone shouting his name. He and Jessie rushed to the door and threw it open, only to see Wedge panting and out of breath with a look of fear radiating off of him in waves.

"Naruto! And Jessie? Never mind, this saves time! Oh god, oh god!"

"WEDGE! Breathe! Tell us what's wrong!"

"T-t-the support structure! Oh god, it's Shinra! Those bastards are attacking the pillar that holds up the Sector 7 plate! They're trying to get it to fall!"

Naruto swore loudly and slammed a closed fist against the door, wondering what the purpose of that was. He couldn't see anything else besides them just killing innocent people. Jessie's hands were in front of her mouth, shaking at how the company was doing such a horrific act. "W…why would they do that?"

"I don't know but Barret and Biggs are already there! They sent me to find you two because we need backup and the place is swarming with infantry!"

"Jessie, go with Wedge. I need to grab my gear and I'll be right behind you. Be careful, both of you, alright?" Naruto was breathing heavily, doing his best to keep the fox's chakra from entering his system and making him lose reason. Wedge and Jessie both gave shaky nods before the two sprinted back towards Seventh Heaven for weapons. The blonde punched the wall one last time before rushing back inside and gathering up his ninja gear and quickly throwing it on.

He had no idea what they were playing at with such a bold move, but he knew there was no way he was letting the plate fall. Tifa'd probably kill him if he let the bar be destroyed while she was away.

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_A/N: Lot's o' stuff happening now. Ee-yup._

_I tried to sync up the two different storylines that were going on (Naruto and Cloud's) and to do that I skipped the part where Cloud stays the night at Aerith's. Instead they went straight to Sector yeah._

_So while Naruto got back from the job and slept, the others returned from the job and Tifa went off to Corneo's. The next day, while Naruto visited AVALANCHE, Cloud was returning Aerith to her home. Finally, this last day, Cloud, Tifa and Aerith are at Corneo's while Naruto and the others are going to fight off Shinra at the support pillar.  
_

_Bit more Jessie backstory, tried something new, hoped it worked at least. I remember reading some story where Naruto was emotionally distraught and Hinata healed him with her body since the two of them had had sex before and they really cared for each other, though it wasn't love love. There was more backstory to it but that was the gist of that part of the story. So thanks to that one author of that one story for giving me the idea._

_So I'm really torn of storyline, and that ties into the pairings. See, I reeeeeeeeeeeeeally don't want to kill of Aerith, but her death was what made everything so emotional and adds to the tie-ins later on. How are the geostigma victims going to be healed without her in the Lifestream? How is Aerith going to direct the Lifestream to attack Meteor when Holy is failing? Thew only thing I can really think of is she dies, but Naruto is able to make a clone that's filled with Lifestream and gives her a temporary body, but that seems really stupid...gah! I also have an idea for Kyuubi that involves the Weapons. So yeah._

_Not a lot of action in this one but that'll change next chapter. Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Festive Kwanza, or whatever holiday you're celebrating. Politically correct holidays annoys the hell out of me. Later. _


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